Students around the world dream of visiting other countries to experience the culture, the food and the language; this dream has recently come true for DGS students. Due to COVID, many school trips were canceled, but now these trips are restarting. This past June 2023, French students had the opportunity to explore France, and this upcoming June 2024 students will have the opportunity to visit Spain and Germany. Through these trips, students are able to explore their passions and learn the importance of first-hand experiences.

French students tour France, learning the historical, cultural and architectural values of many different cities and towns. (Vanja Bogdanovic)

Dedicating her time to find the perfect trip for her students, French teacher Sophia Reuillion went on a search to find the most activity-filled yet affordable trip to take French students on. Reuillion discovered Explorica, a company that offers educational tours of many different countries. In January 2022, the D99 Board of Education approved the French Highlights Tour through Explorica, and 23 students traveled to France in June 2023.

“The trip we ended up choosing was called French Highlights. It was a 10-day-tour, and it had a good variety of sites. It covered Paris and the Loire Valley, the castles of the kings, and then also traveled down to the Mediterranean coast,” Reuillion said.

Carrying on a 34 year tradition between Bisingen, Germany, and Downers Grove, Illinois, Fine Arts Department Chair Jerry Lowery will be flying to Germany with a group of a variety of band students from D99 to participate in an exchange from June 8 to June 16. Students will be staying with host families in Germany and will be taking trips to cities, like Frankfurt, to play concerts for the public. This trip gives students the opportunity to play music for a different culture.

“The power of music itself and creating opportunities for students that they would not normally have. Music has taken me on some fruitful and fun adventures and endeavors, and this an opportunity for me to be a catalyst for that for our students as well. So unique experiences for the kids and relating music to culture, to community and to the larger world around us,” Lowey said.

Interest in French and wanting to revisit the country caused junior and French 4 student Sydney Stapleton to seize the opportunity to go on the France trip. Stapleton went out of her comfort zone to attend the trip, and with the support of her fellow peers, she was able to enjoy the trip and explore new things.

Wanting to experience and learn about the culture in Spain, junior and Spanish 3 Honors student Sophia Lodhi took this opportunity to go on the Spain trip. Lodhi decided to go on this trip in order to get out of her comfort zone when it comes to traveling. With the anxiety of something going wrong during her travels, Lodhi has taken many steps to ensure she is prepared for this trip.

“I got my passport really early, and I applied for visas, and I pay a lot of attention in Spanish class and when we have group meetings. We go over Spanish words so I know how to communicate and know some words so I can talk to them,” Lodhi said.

Junior and band student Al Zoerb will be attending the exchange trip to Germany. Zoerb is a part of three bands here at DGS including Wind Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble and Marching Band. Saving money for the trip showed Zoerb the importance of being independent and working towards a goal.

“I decided to go on this trip because I really like band and I want a lot of opportunities to play and perform. I’ve also never been out of the country, so I think it would be cool combining those two things to get a new experience with something I’m familiar with,” Zoerb said. “I got a job over the summer at Oberweis, so I’ve been saving up money that way, and I think we’re getting some opportunities to fundraise for the trip. I’ve also been talking to my family to get help.”

Making sure the trip will have a positive impact on students is a top priority for Murphy. On all the trips Murphy has been on, she has seen the excitement students experience while being able to explore new areas. Ever since Murphy went on a trip with her high school to Spain, she has been able to recognize the importance of one’s outlook on the world.

“I think it’s so incredibly valuable. When I was in high school, I went on a tour, and it was the first time I’d been out of the country, and I think that really set the foundation for why I think it’s important that young people get out of their bubble and get that global perspective. I think it really opens kids’ eyes, it’s very impactful and opens up their world views,” Murphy said.

Pie chart representing the number of people interested in a trip to France. (Vanja Bogdanovic)

Reuillion decided on this trip after sending home a survey to parents asking about their preferred length and price point of the trip. Out of the parents surveyed the results were: 13.6% preferred the five day trip, 63.3% the 10 day trip, 13.6% the 15 day trip and 9.1% said they were not interested in a trip.

“It was proposing three different length trips with the different price points, and it went out to all families with students who could potentially go on the trip. Overwhelmingly the parents voted for the 10 day trip, so that guided my selection,” Reuillion said.

On the Germany exchange trip, students from all band classes in D99 will be represented.

“We extended sign ups by a week and opened up the sign ups to students outside of Wind Ensemble, so there are kids from all of our bands being represented in District 99,” Lowery said.

If you would like to support fellow students on their trips this summer, the Spain trip has a fundraiser running through Giving Bean until Nov. 14, and will be having another fundraiser later in the year. Contact any student going on the Spain trip if you would like to purchase coffee or cookies. The Germany trip will also be having three fundraisers, including WiddyUp, between now and the end of the year.