By: Maria Lamagna <[email protected]>

Junior Alexa “Lexi” Myers has never traveled outside of the country, but on June 2 that will change. Myers, along with 36 other students from this school, will take a tour of Europe as part of the Historic Travel Club’s annual trip. “I’ve never been out of the country before,” Myers said. “I heard about the trip from (U.S. History teacher Will) Ellery because he’s my block teacher. He’s been talking about it all year.”

Myers and the other students will tour in a group led by Ellery, along with world history teacher Jennifer Ott, chemistry teacher Jennifer Marlow and AP Biology teacher Thomas Maxam. They will drive by bus to Chicago and then fly from Chicago to Switzerland.

Myers said that her arrival is what she looks forward to most. “We are going dog sledding in the Alps (in Switzerland),” she said. “We’re also doing luge riding and hiking a glacier. Mr. Ellery said he likes to do the outdoor things first because we’ll be tired from the time change.” In Switzerland, the students will also go white water rafting and hike to Europe’s highest peak, Mont Blanc.

Ellery has been primarily in charge of organizing the trip. He has taken an annual tour of Europe every summer for 10 years and he taught history at this school for the past three years; he has taken students on similar trips for each of these summers. Ellery said that to be part of the Historic Travel Club and take the trip, students do not necessarily need to be enrolled in a specific social studies course. “They had to come to the meetings,” Ellery said. “The intention of the club is international historic travel.”

Myers said that she and the other students are responsible for some preparation before they leave. “Mr. Ellery told us that if we find something we want to go see when we’re there, we’ll try to find time to do it,” she said. “They also told us to research everywhere we’re going so that when we’re there, we’ll appreciate it more.”

Ellery said that research will help the students learn about the places they will visit but might also encourage them to explore more of Europe by choice. “For some of the students, if they happen to have me (as their history teacher),” Ellery said, “they would have already been assigned specific things to research. There will be places that we’ll take them all to, and then other places they want to visit that interest them. We’ll do all the ‘have-to’s, like the Cathedral of Notre Dame, but then some kids will choose to see different things like the Catacombs of Paris. It’s a combination of things you have to do and things that are unique to you.”

After touring Switzerland and the Alps, Ellery said that the students will take a private motor coach to several cities in France, including Epinal, where they will visit a World War II cemetery and lay American flags by the graves of U.S. soldiers who died there. They will end their tour in Paris, where they will use the metro for transportation. They will return after their 10-day visit on June 11.

Ellery said that he is looking forward to all aspects of the trip, especially seeing his students’ reactions as they discover the continent. “So much of this is new to the kids, and you form unique relationships with the kids,” Ellery said. “I’ve said it reminds me of little kids coming down the stairs on Christmas, some of their reactions as they see things like the Eiffel Tower for the first time. These things that inspire awe in big kids are just like Christmas morning for little kids.”

History teacher Jennifer Ott will go on the trip for her third time this year. She said that she most looks forward to seeing “Switzerland in general. We went to the Alps last year and it was phenomenal. Words can’t really describe it; you just have to experience it,” she said.

Ellery said that he encourages students to take advantage of this opportunity for several reasons. “It’s just a great time to go,” Ellery said. “Some students tell me they plan to go after college or later in life, but as you get older you get tied up with a house, car payments, jobs, and those chances (to go to Europe) slip away.”

Ellery and Ott also said that since the group is able to receive student discounts for almost every expense, taking the trip will be much cheaper than traveling alone would be. Each student paid $3,700 to go this year, which includes airfare, hotel accommodations, transportation, admissions to sites and all meals except for lunch.

Ellery and Ott said that the trip has been growing every year. There are already 10 students signed up to take the trip next year, which will be slightly different than the sites of this year’s trip. Ellery called next year’s expedition “the quintessential blend of culture of Western Europe and immense history.”

Ott said that students should take advantage of next year’s trip if they missed out this year. “Right now is a good time to come in and talk to a teacher about it,” she said. “Going to Europe with a school group makes so much sense. You’re going with people like Mr. Ellery who have already been to Europe several times and know how it works. Plus, you’re going with your friends and people who are responsible for you. If you go by yourself, you’re out of your comfort zone wholly.”