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Student and Teacher Thoughts on Westlake School Trip to Greece

By AUTUMN VERNA

During this upcoming Spring Break, teacher Michael Laterza and four other chaperones are taking 43 students to Greece for the annual Westlake school trip. 

 

This trip will last for ten days. Regarding the locations Laterza states, “We land in Athens and most of the beginning tour will be in Athens. Then it is a cruise to Mykonos, Santorini, and Ephesus, which is technically in Turkey.” For the most part the trip will stay in Greece other than the one day in Turkey.

 

Laterza has been chaperoning school trips since 2007 and started doing them at Westlake in 2018. Through school trips, he has been able to visit many countries, including Spain, Portugal, Italy, China, and Greece; Spain remains his favorite.

 

According to Laterza, “The most difficult aspect is honestly that kids are the easy part, the hard part is making sure parents submitted all the required either payments or documentation. This is because the tour company has their own deadlines.” 

 

While Laterza is most excited about students learning and indulging in Greek culture, Westlake student Maeve Verna is most excited about the food, the views, and the Instagram pictures.

 

According to Verna, she expressed interest in going on this trip because “all of my friends are going and I have always wanted to go to Greece because it is so pretty.” She is most interested in taking pictures in Santorini because of how beautiful the sunsets and water are.

 

Although the trip is still a few weeks away, the students and chaperones have done much preparation already. The teachers are checking on students to make sure they have submitted all forms needed for them to go on the trip. 

 

According to Verna, “Getting the passport is the most difficult because I needed a new one and the process of going to CVS then the post office was very tedious.”

 

While there is much exhilaration, many people are fearful of the rising epidemic of the Coronavirus. 

 

According to Verna, “I am not personally nervous about the Coronavirus but I know some people are and it is getting in the way of my excitement for the trip.” 

 

Although there have not been any issues yet, parents are concerned about the safety of the child’s health. 

 

“I think that they [students] just have to take necessary precautions like you would with the cold or the flu. Make sure they wash their hands, not touch their face and I think everyone will be fine,” Laterza says.

 

The virus threats should not stop the students from going on this life changing experience. Laterza recognizes the importance of these trips in the students' lives. They show the students the real world outside of their hometown and allow them to enrich themselves in others culture. 

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