This past summer, a group of Liberty students flew to Italy where they brought their learning to life for ten event-packed days.
The travel group consisted of 17 students, mainly from AP World History, and teachers Peter Kurtz, Andrea Antrim, and Cameron Talley. The group traveled to places and historical sites which they had only read about in textbooks.
“The point of the trip was to get students from Liberty to be in a new environment where they couldn’t pretend they knew everything, and they had to learn about other people,” Kurtz said.
The group began its adventure in Venice, then made its way through Bologna, Florence, Assisi, and, lastly, Rome. Throughout Italy, the students got to experience the country’s unique culture while maintaining the educational aspect of the trip.
“I really liked Florence. It was really pretty and you definitely see the life there that is outside of actual tourism,” senior Lilli Donahoe said. “It was interesting to see how people are actually living in different countries and that was a cool experience for me because I had never had that before.”
Throughout the trip, the students were able to try many activities such as riding a gondola, visiting the School of Lace in Venice, seeing the David, trying fresco painting in Florence, and even exploring the Coliseum and an underground catacomb in Rome.
“The David was a knock out surprise- that was the coolest statue I’ve ever seen,” Kurtz said.
The students agreed that traveling to a foreign country with their friends enhanced educational trip into an experience they won’t soon forget.
“I think about it now and if I ever go back to Italy, it most likely won’t be with my best friends, like I got with this trip, which made it really cool,” senior Kylie Kirksey said.