Park’s School Board reached a unanimous decision to approve the proposal for a Europe trip Dec. 13, which was presented by sophomores Evelyn Bot and Louisa Augustine. Open to all current tenth graders, the trip will include London, Paris, Milan, Florence and Rome, all in July. The trip will be led by the AP European History teachers, Emma Engebretson and Gregory Goddard.

Sophomore Evelyn Bot, who is a student coordinator for the trip, said presenting the trip proposal to the school board was a gratifying experience.

“(It was) very fun and exciting. We put in a lot of prep work in order to make it go smoothly, I feel like it really paid off,” Bot said. “The board members gave good feedback and questions, it was really nice to see them so engaged in our project.”

Trip coordinator and AP European History teacher Emma Engebretson said the excursion will be a great opportunity for personal growth. 

“Any time that there’s an opportunity to travel internationally is a great experience. Being able to see and experience what we are learning in the classroom in real life is a great way to expand on the learning,” Engebretson said. “(The students) can grow as people and as learners through this experience.”

Sophomore Louisa Augustine, who is a student coordinator alongside Bot, said the trip will be a great way to connect in-class learning with real life.

“Traveling in general gives another perspective on things, and since we’re traveling to places that we’re learning about, it helps connect what we’re learning to real life on a deeper level,” Augustine said. “It’s important to see something with your own eyes instead of just in a history book.” 

Engebretson said the daily itinerary during the trip will be full of different things.

“(We’re going on) lots of tours. We’re going to go see lots of museums, historical sites and visit different restaurants. We’re really trying to get both the cultural and historical aspects of everywhere we are going,” Engebretson said. 

In terms of fundraising, Bot said that there are lots of new ideas and initiatives to fundraise.

“We already have a lot of students who are willing and excited to fundraise. We have people texting us, giving us new ideas for fundraising,” Bot said. “We’re hoping to make some sort of committee to have people be planning and running group fundraisers at some point.”

Engebretson also said fundraising is important so the trip can be cost-effective for all tenth graders.

“There are lots of fundraisers that the students have chosen and are interested in. We are trying to make this trip as accessible as possible to every student that wants to go, so we have already sent out a survey to gather data on our needs for funding,” Engebretson said. “Every student will get a customizable tour fundraising page where people can donate directly to their trip funds. For group fundraisers, we are interested in partnering with other local businesses to help raise money. We may bag at Cub Foods or do a car wash in the spring.”

Bot said a high school traveling experience is key for becoming an independent global learner.

“It’s important for students to have the opportunity to travel while in high school, to learn about different cultures that are all around the world,” Bot said. “It’s impactful because we get to learn about the real world and how to become independent by learning new things there.”Registration for the Europe trip is open now through Jan. 21. Email [email protected] for more information on how to register.