In preparation for the school-sponsored trip to Europe over the summer, Parkway Pizza hosted a trivia night for the AP European History class where a percentage of the proceeds go to funding for the trip May 23. According to AP  European History teacher Gregory Goddard, this trip is a big deal in teaching students experiences of different cultures.

“It is an opportunity for any 10th-grader that was interested in participating in a school-sponsored trip to Europe,” Goddard said. “There have been a variety of school trips in St. Louis Park, oftentimes alternating between world languages and the social studies department. We just opened it up for those who want in. The trip is sponsored by an organization called EF tours which does educational trips all around the world, but particularly Europe.”

An attendee to this event, English teacher Callie Hefstad, said having a trip outside of Minnesota is a good way for students to gain a new perspective. 

“The Euro trip is all about seeing the world in other perspectives,” Hefstad said. “Putting on other hats and outside of your comfort zone and hearing a language that isn’t known to you. It is also really cool exiting the class and seeing older history and seeing how that pops up in our modern world.”

Sophomore Ray Turner said he enjoyed the event. The night was filled with trivia and while he never won, he said he had an amazing night. 

“The event has been going well,” Turner said. “It has been a lot of fun being able to compete and have fun. It is really nice to get this going and just do trivia.” 

Goddard said it can be costly to attend the Euro trip, so fundraising at Parkway Pizza has given an opportunity to support students who would not otherwise be able to afford this opportunity. 

“The support is really about generating revenue streams for funding,” Goddard said. “We made it clear to students we are going to do funding. We want to make the trip as equitable as we can to students. It is a very transformational opportunity for a student to go to another country and experience different perspectives outside the US. We are trying to make it as affordable to as many students as we can.”

Turner said he is excited to travel throughout Europe. 

“People should care about supporting this trip because we get to go to interesting countries and explore different cultures,” Turner said. “I see the opportunity for this and I am going ahead to take it.”