The streets of Buenos Aires, the beaches of Greece and the slopes of Mont Tremblant await CHS students who will have the chance to travel to Argentina, Chile and Canada this year. Trips to Greece and Turkey, as well as Australia and New Zealand are being planned for next year.
The trip to Argentina and Chile will be Jan. 20-30 and will cost $2,850. To be eligible for this trip, students must be in Spanish 4 Honors or have proficient understanding of the Spanish language.
Spanish teacher Lidia Dorin, who is planning and leading the trip, led 17 students, including juniors Emily Shapiro and Ioana Tesliuc, on a similar trip to Spain last year.
“[The trip] was definitely a good experience,” Tesliuc said. “We got to experience a culture that we had previously only learned about through textbooks. For example, it was great seeing a Flamenco dancer in Seville.”
According to Shapiro, the balance of education and fun was perfect. They would walk around and shop but also visit museums and churches.
“I would definitely recommend trips like this,” Shapiro said. “It was one of the best experiences ever. We had so much freedom to explore the city and without even noticing I learned so much Spanish from communicating with people.”
In Argentina and Chile, students will visit historical landmarks, tour cities such as Buenos Aires and Puerto Varas and eat traditional food.
“When you arrive, you feel like you are in a different world,” Dorin said. “The people in the towns are so nice and warm. The students will be able to experience something very different.”
In addition to experiencing Spanish culture, CHS students will have the opportunity to take a long weekend ski trip to Mont Tremblant, Canada. The trip, sponsored by Ski Travel, will be held Jan 22-26 and costs $514.
“It’s going to be really fun,” said Ski Travel student representative and junior Colin Hautman. “There are almost 100 slopes and you can take lessons if you don’t know how to ski or snowboard.”
With everything in walking distance, there are many things to do besides ski and snowboard. Students can shop around in the Mont Tremblant village, snow tube, ice climb, dog sled and relax in indoor and outdoor hot tubs.
CHS teachers are already planning trips for next year as well. Math teacher Alvin Figer and NSL teacher Justin Ostry are scheduling a trip to Greece and Turkey. The trip was originally planned for this school year but was postponed until spring break 2011.
“Students will be able to interact with people from different cultures and immerse themselves in new customs,” Figer said.
History teacher Joan Zuckerman is also planning a trip to Australia and New Zealand for 2011. Zuckerman, who has led 15 other trips to Europe, South America and Asia, will head the trip next June.
“I’ve never been to Australia or Greece so it would be pretty exciting to go,” junior Joseph Rinaldi said. “It’s a once in a lifetime experience and this opportunity might not come again for a long time.”
