On Saturday night, 18 students returned from a week-long religion and history trip to Spain. Led by religion teacher Clint Hackenburg and history teacher Lauren O’Donnell, the group visited Madrid, Santiago de Compostela, Cordoba and Granada.
“I loved the entire trip, but one of my highlights was the Great Mosque in Cordoba,” senior Charlotte Callaghan said. “The architecture of the building is so unique and seeing it in person was an incredible experience.”
Each year, the school releases a list of trip options as part of the Global Platforms program. This program allows teachers to pitch ideas to the school for domestic and international trips to give students hands-on experience in specific subjects and learn about new cultures. Students can submit applications to different trips in October, and once the rosters are confirmed, each trip has a series of meetings and preparations beforehand. The process for the Spain trip was a long time coming, but well worth it in the end, according to Callaghan.
“As a first time chaperone on this trip, I learned a lot— Ms. O and I would say that we did some things really well and also made some mistakes along the way, mostly relating to logistics,” religion teacher Clint Hackenburg said. “My favorite city we visited, even though it was raining, was Santiago de Compostela because it was my first time there and the vibe was very different from anywhere else I have ever been in Spain,”
Coincidentally, the trip fell on the dates of Holy Week, which is widely celebrated in traditionally Catholic cities such as Cordoba, Granada and Santiago de Compostela. The students witnessed many processions, with people in traditional robes as well as marching bands and large sculptures.
Between visiting sites and going on tours, the students had lots of free time to explore the cities. The free time was useful because if people felt tired and wanted to rest, they could, but if they wanted to keep walking, exploring or shopping, they had time to do that as well, according to Callaghan. Each night the group had dinner all together or in small groups, allowing students to get to know new people they may not have spent time with before.
“Although the places we went were amazing, my favorite part was the group bonding,” Hackenburg said. “I was nervous about the social dynamics because I didn’t know some people as well as others, but in the end everyone got along well and had such a good time.”
The trip set out with an ambitious itinerary of visiting both the far north and far south of Spain, attempting to see the difference in culture and natural landscapes of both regions. Each city had one main site they wanted to visit, with places like the Great Mosque, the Alhambra and the Cathedral de Santiago. Students Ms. O’Donnell and Dr. Hackenburg’s classes have learned about Spain’s intense history passing between Muslim and Christian rule, so most of the sites held high religious significance.
“Spain was a beautiful destination and the trip was packed with different sites and things to do,” Callaghan said. “I loved trying new things as well as making new friends with people I don’t see regularly.”
