While many students remained at home for their spring break, nineteen students embarked on a ten day long trip to Spain. The trip was brought to fruition through a company called Explorica, which acts as a sponsor for educational trips, and was organized by Wendy Reeder, who is a Spanish teacher and head of the language department. This expedition is the third trip of its kind. The first trip was also to Spain, while the second was to Costa Rica. These trips are held every two years. All three were organized by Reeder. Reeder, along with Spanish teacher Jose Ancona acted as the two chaperones for the trip.

“I chose to go on the trip to enhance my vocabulary and skills in the Spanish language and learn more about the culture of Spain,” senior Hannah Chaput said. “My favorite part of the trip was being able to explore various cities and see the different architecture and history of Spain.”

The three main regions of Spain that the students visited on the trip were Costa de Sol, Madrid, and Seville. The students spent at least two nights in each location, and got the chance to visit smaller, nearby cities such as Granada and Mijas. Mijas is located near Costa de Sol, and is known as a traditional Spanish town and a popular destination for tourists. While in Spain, students embarked on multiple tours, conducted almost all in Spanish, that explained the history and culture of each destination. During the trip, one student was even asked to prom.

“I think the trip to Spain definitely taught me how to use more conventional Spanish and allowed me to be comfortable speaking with natives,” junior Brooke Weigand said. “It also showed me what I know, and what I need to work on in order to speak the language more fluently.”

Most of the students who went on the trip were Spanish IV students. There were no particular requirements in order for the students to go, and for the most part, anyone who wished to go and had permission from parents was allowed to attend. However, it was preferred that the students were in one of the higher-level classes, such as Spanish IV or Honors Spanish III, in order to be able to ask questions and interact in Spanish with the people they met.

“Having that time to really soak in the culture with some of your classmates just makes the trip a little more special, so I was happy to go along with the trip and watch the students interact in another country and practice the language that they have studied,” Ancona said.

Due to the success of trips that CHS Spanish classes have taken, this tradition will continue on at CHS. All the language departments at CHS will hold many more trips for their respective classes in the future, as these excursions provide students a chance to take everything they have learned in the classroom and apply it to the outside world.