By Emily Crescitelli and Phoebe Hopkins
Staff Writers
Although NHS does not often have traveling opportunities for students outside of language courses, this year two lucky students and one NHS teacher ventured across the Atlantic to visit The Hague, Holland in the Netherlands. Art teacher Sheryl Jaffe, junior Isabella Leo, and sophomore Chris Gonzalez participated in an exchange program with students from the Netherlands who visited NHS just a few months ago. The trip gave the students insight into what life is like in a foreign country. Leo aptly summed up the trip’s theme in saying its purpose was to show “integration, immigration, and minorities in a changing society.”
The three NHS travelers were joined by two students from Mansfield on the journey across the ocean. They spent a total of three weeks in Holland, two of which were spent living in a home stay. The group spent lots of time with the exchange students who visited NHS, and were involved together in a video project. As part of the requirements of the program, the students had to create three videos, each revolving around the theme of freedom. The videos will be shown during the film festival here at the high school.
Though the group devoted a lot of time to their project, they also had time for sightseeing. “The Hague is so beautiful,” said Gonzalez. “The natural beauty is amazing. It’s like a painting, everywhere you look.” They visited many prominent government buildings including the Peace Palace—a court acting under the UN for trying criminals of war—the city hall, and the Parliament building where they met with a member of Parliament.
The trip was such a huge success in bringing people together and all three NHS participants want to see their new acquaintances again. Gonzalez and Leo are saving up to return to the Netherlands this summer, while Jaffe hopes that her friends will come to America soon. “It was really great, it was an amazing opportunity,” Jaffe said, “I feel like I now have friends on the other side of the planet.”
This entry was posted on Fri, 05/29/2009 - 09:44 and is filed under .
