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International Travel
At Mountain Springs Preparatory Academy, we
have long believed that traveling can indeed be one of the best
forms of education. To that end, Mountain Springs has designed one large international trip per year. The purpose of this trip is to help
our students get a sense for their place in the larger world and experience the life and culture of those in other countries.
 For 2008, students and faculty decided upon England and France as
their destination of choice. Future International Travel Trips
will be in other locations as well.
Recap of England/France, 2008 trip:
The primary objective of the England/France trip was to
provide a hands-on, intimate cultural environment for students at Mountain
Springs. Highlights of this 11-day trip included:
• Several days in London visiting the Tower of London, the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral, Trafalgar Square, etc. The participants also watched the musical performance "Wicked" at the West Inn Theatre District.
• Oxford, Stratford upon Avon (Shakespeare's birthplace), Warwick Castle, and Stonehenge.
• Travel on an Overnight Ferry across the English Channel.
• A guided tour of the battlefields of Normandy and Mont St Michel.
• Several days in Paris included: Notre Dame, Montmartre, the Eiffel Tower, the Champs Elysées, Montparnasse, and much more.
• While in Paris the participants toured the Musee D'Orsay and the Louvre.
This trip exposed students to the rich history and tradition of Europe. In addition, students experienced different ways of
thinking, living, and being while also coming to understand the importance of
accepting other people as they are and for their similarities,
instead of focusing on or treating differences as negative.
Students were encouraged to embrace new ideas, culture, art,
language, sounds and foods in a way that expanded their
horizons and set them on their way toward life-long success and
learning.
Recap of England/France, 2007 trip:
See Highlights for 2008 preview.
Recap of Mexico, 2006 trip:
 This 7-day trip consisted of such highlights as:
• Historic sites in Mexico City including: Museum of Templo Mayor, Zocalo, the Museum of Anthropology, Chapultepec Park, the Metrapolitan Cathedral and the National Palace
• Performance of Ballet Folklorico at the Palace of Fine Arts.
• Visit to Teotihuacan to climb the pyramids of the Sun and the Moon.
• All-day service project at a local orphanage housing abandoned or stranded
children who have handicaps as well as learning difficulties. The students spent the day playing with kids, talking with them, reading to them, building
structures for them, etc. We held fundraisers before we went
to pay for improvements and supplies.
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Student Feedback:
“I learned that Mexico
isn’t what I thought it would be, the people were friendlier
than I expected. The trip was fun, I picked up on their
language quickly, and going to a foreign country was exciting
as well as educational.”
- D. F.
“It was a good experience because it allowed me to appreciate
what I have here in America; I recommend all students to
attend.”
- M. O.
“It helped me see another side of the world, that often times
we don’t look at. I enjoyed giving service at the orphanage
because I at one time was adopted and it brought back a lot of
feelings of what I experienced. After I left I wanted to set
up an account where I can sponsor these kids financially for
education. I want to help there future become better than
mine.”
- C. T.
“It was very educational and enlightening and I recommend all
kids to attend.”
- A. A. |
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