Wheatland Crossing students heading abroad

By Adelle Ellis, Times Reporter

Some Wheatland Crossing School students will gain a greater appreciation for different parts of the world as they embark on an international trip to five different countries from April 19 to 30.
The 22 students from Grades 10 to 12, six chaperones and several parents and grandparents will become immersed in five different languages and four different currencies during their 12-day trip to Berlin, Prague, Krakow, Budapest and Vienna.
“This is a great location for students because of the history from the holocaust, particularly Berlin and Krakow. Prague, Budapest and Vienna have such beautiful architecture and culture,” said Kathy Gerritsen, Grade 5 teacher at Wheatland Crossing School. Gerritsen has previously led Standard and Wheatland Crossing high school students on five international student trips, the most recent being a service trip to Kenya last year with a small group of students.
In the past, students had the opportunity to visit Italy, Greece, London, Paris, Barcelona and Kenya.
Some of the outcomes from students participating in the self-funded trips are to “gain a greater understanding of global cultures,” increase their confidence and independence in themselves, and grow an appreciation for a different part of the world, helping them to broaden their perspective of the world and exposure to other lifestyles and cultures.
Students will start their trip in Berlin, where they will visit Checkpoint Charlie, the Topography of Terror Museum, the Reichstag building and Brandenburg Gate. From there they will make a pit stop in Dresden before continuing on to Prague where they will see Charles Bridge, St. Vitus Cathedral, the Golden Lane and the famous 15th century astronomical clock at Market Square. Their third stop will be in in the only major Polish city to escape devastation during the Second World War, Krakow, known for Wawel Cathedral, Wawel Hill, Glowny Square, St. Mary’s Church and most infamously the concentration camps at Auschwitz and Birkenau.
Next, passing through Slovakia and the Tatra Mountains on to Budapest, students will experience the Fisherman’s Bastion, Parliament, Matthias Church and the Budapest Baths. The last two days of the trip will be spent in Vienna with a visit to the opera house Kärntnerstrasse, Ringstrasse and the Schönbrunn Palace, before making their way back home after 12 packed days.
For most students, this will be their first taste at an international travel experience. Gerritsen said while some may feel out of their comfort zones, they can use the experience to feel more confident in their abilities after the trip and they can gain a broader cultural awareness of different parts of the world.
“I absolutely feel that it is so important to experience travel,” she noted. “Travel is my passion; the more I can get immersed into the culture and experience the local lifestyle, the more that I benefit from the trip.
Gerritsen said she has found great success in the high school trips and plans on continuing them every three years to give every high school student an opportunity to travel internationally. She also plans on offering a service learning trip every three years as an option for students who would prefer to experience travel on a service trip.
“One of the most exciting features of travelling is that the world becomes your classroom,” said Gerritsen. “I know that the students will come back with a greater appreciation of the world around them and all the benefits that travelling entails.”