In February, Townsend Harris High School students had the opportunity to visit Italy and Greece on the first school international trip in years. 

Latin teacher Christopher Amanna planned the trip in collaboration with Educational First (EF) Tours to secure a package which included hotels, flights, and daily tours. The group, which consisted of 40 students and seven chaperones, departed from John F. Kennedy (JFK) Airport on February 14, the first day of mid-winter break, to Italy where they would visit cities including the Vatican, Rome, Pompeii, and the islands of Naples and Capri. The group then traveled to Greece where they visited historical landmarks in Delphi and Athens.

The group was initially scheduled to return on February 23, the day students were supposed to return to school from mid-winter break. However, due to winter storm Hernando hitting New York the day before, the original flight was cancelled. According to Mr. Amanna, additional costs for the rebooked flight tickets, hotels, and food are covered by EF Tour’s travel insurance, which was included in the original price of the trip. As of now, Mr. Amanna said that EF is still in the process of reimbursing students for additional food costs. 

Mr. Amanna said that the delay “was a little bit stressful at the moment. There were some unanswered questions because our flight was delayed, and initially, the other chaperones and I were responsible for rebooking with the airline. But the airline didn’t want to deal with us individually, they wanted to deal with EF, the company that booked us.” Eventually, a flight was booked for the morning for February 25 and students landed at JFK Airport later that evening.

“I was initially excited when they informed us that our flight would be delayed. We didn’t get to spend much time in Greece, and I was really glad to get more time to explore,” said junior Priscilla Devedeux. “Although I had been really excited for our extra time, I was nervous about the extra days missed at school and how they were gonna be able to fit all of us on a flight in such short notice,” she said. 

During those two extra days in Athens, junior Rebecca Castrillon said that compared to other days on the trip, “[Students] had more choice… We could wander around the area as long as we were accompanied by two or more peers. We also visited museums as a group along with a driving tour of the city. It was honestly my favorite time of the trip.”

Throughout the trip, students experienced local lifestyles, history, language, and food.

Junior Aki Benjamin said that his favorite place on the trip was Delphi because “the history and mythology was so interesting.” 

Senior Aydin Yildiz described his first impression of arriving in Rome. “All the historical monuments, like the Pantheon and the Colosseum, were just beautiful to look at. It’s something I’ll never forget, and I’ll remember for the rest of my life,” he said. 

In addition to the memories made, students also gained knowledge outside of a traditional academic setting. Aki, for instance, said that he picked up some Italian from Social Studies teacher Frank Spitaleri during the trip.

Mr. Spitaleri said, “It was extremely rewarding to see students taking risks by trying new things, whether it was a new type of gelato flavor or learning a new word in Greek or Italian. It made me especially proud since my own family traces its roots to Italy. My mom taught me many traditions from Italian culture that I was happy to pass on to students.”

Other chaperones also noted how seeing students learn about different cultures outside of a traditional academic setting was memorable to them as well.

“I do think it was very interesting too when we ended up going to that market and there was like the lamb heads and the chicken heads and all those things that some kids may not have experienced [before],” said mathematics teacher Alice Brea. “It was cool to see them see something new.”

To ensure all students’ safety on the trip, particularly during free-time, they were required to abide by set rules which included travelling in groups of three or more. Students who broke these guidelines could have free time privileges taken away.

According to an email the school sent to families last November, THHS is now planning two more international trips with EF Tours for next school year: one to Spain during mid-winter break and another to South Korea during spring break.