Middle and Upper School Students Explore Europe on Summer Trips

Groups of Middle and Upper School students, faculty and parents from Westchester Country Day School traveled abroad on educational trips to Europe this summer.

These trips provided opportunities for students to experience international travel, explore cultural and historical sites, and make connections with what they have learned in class. Westchester has offered travel abroad opportunities to students for more than a decade. The purpose is to encourage students to broaden their global perspective while growing in confidence and independence. 

The Middle School group went to London on a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) trip June 18-26. They started their trip by taking a walking tour of the city and riding the London Eye for great views of the city. The group also participated in a workshop where the students used simple machines and teamwork to figure out how to move hay bales around a farm to a new location to mimic how people may have built Stonehenge. After this workshop, the group explored Stonehenge on a guided tour.

“Stonehenge was a lot taller than I imagined, and the workshop was really cool. We also got to solve a fictional crime and learn things about detective work,” said seventh-grader Jacqueline Le.

They also went to see “Wicked” in London's West End. They also went on multiple tours, including a tour about Jack the Ripper, a tour of the Tower of London, and a river cruise on the River Thames which allowed them to see the Prime Meridian and Greenwich. 

The Upper School group visited Germany, the Czech Republic and Switzerland from June 13-22. The students said they enjoyed seeing the sites of the city of Berlin, the streets of Prague and the breathtaking Swiss Alps. 

“This trip made me motivated to have more new experiences and be uncomfortable more often,” said Charlie Blair, a senior who went on the trip. One of his favorite moments from the trip was visiting a farm in Switzerland and bonding with his classmates on the trip.

Lucie Corrigan, an 11th grader who attended the trip, said her favorite experience was visiting Mt. Pilatus in Switzerland, where the group hiked and traveled up and down the mountain by gondola and train.

“This trip was extremely influential in piquing my interest in other cultures and the history of the places we visited. Learning about the different historical sites and countries we went to was especially interesting and, in my opinion, very important to understand,” said Corrigan.