Having never left the country, sophomore Rachel Mattson said she looks forward to visiting Europe with her classmates.

AP European and World history teacher Jeffrey Cohen said he offers a new trip for his students next spring. Cohen said this is the fourth trip he has done with the school.

“We are going to Switzerland and Italy. We are going to visit Lucerne, one of, if not the most beautiful cities in Switzerland,” Cohen said. “After that we will go through the Lake Como region and stop in Venice, Florence, Rome and then make our way down to the Sorrento region and visit the ancient ruins of Pompeii.”

According to Cohen, this trip offers new views of cities and attractions his previous classes have never visited.
“We have not gone to Switzerland before and some of the cities in Italy I have not taken students to before,” said Cohen. “Some of it is the same, as far as visiting Florence which is kind of the heart of the Renaissance.”

Cohen said he originally planned on visiting Scandinavia, but tour guides required a high number of students and he was unable to pair up with other schools.

“It happened this year because (Scandinavia) is not a popular school trip during Spring Break, there were no other schools around the country who were planning on going during the time I wanted to go,” Cohen said. “So we had the choice of either going in the summer, which is a very popular time for students to go to Scandinavia, or pick a new destination.”

Mattson said she feels more excited to travel on the trip now that the destination has changed.  

“The trip we are going on now is actually really cool and I am kind of more excited for the actual seeing part of it because it’s Switzerland, which I have always wanted to go to, and then Italy which is so pretty,” Mattson said.

According to Cohen, the trip has a planned itinerary to ensure students get the most out of the trip.

“We have places that we visit in every city and a pretty strict itinerary,” Cohen said. “Most of the time we have predetermined stops and visits at museums, historic sites or theaters so I know before we leave how most of our time will be spent and the places that we see are what students want to see.”

Cohen said he hopes this experience will expand students’ understandings of European history and provide them a new visual aid in understanding his class.

“Showing pictures of the Sistine Chapel and trying to describe the significance of Renaissance art in a classroom is one thing, but then bringing students to where they are three inches from a piece of work or a sculpture of Michelangelo’s David gives everything a whole new perspective and appreciation,” Cohen said. “The visual and the experience of being and observing some of the things we study in the classroom create a whole new perspective.”

Mattsan said she believes traveling to Europe will enhance her knowledge and excitement about her AP European History class.

“I think that it will make that class a lot cooler because then I will see in person some of the stuff we learned about and probably what we will learn about,” Mattson said. “Now we are learning about this and I have already been there before.”

Cohen said he believes experiencing diverse cultures provides students with a new outlook on life, and recommends seizing any travel opportunity.

“It teaches you at a young age how big the world is and how much is out there and how interdependent we all are and how global our world has become,” Cohen said.  “It opens students’ eyes up to what goes on outside of our small little community.

Cohen said trip sign ups are in room C361 or you can register online at eftours.com.