Forty students – the majority from Bridgeport High School - recently returned from a trip to Europe, sponsored by the BHS French Department and facilitated through EF Educational Tours.

 

The group set out Tues., June 29 for a 12-day travel circuit, beginning with four days in Paris, France, followed by a Greek Island cruise via the Celestyal cruise line.

 

BHS senior Mackenzie Griffith is among students who secured a spot on the trip nearly two years ago. She said the trip included several miles of walking each day and that soaking up other cultures, as well as trying – and learning to appreciate – new foods, was necessity.

 

Though she was captivated by the sight of Moulin Rouge in Paris and certainly loved shopping on the Avenue des Champs Elysees, Griffith said her favorite part of the trip was the Greek Isle of Mykonos.

 

“It was just gorgeous – all the whitewashed buildings and blue rooftops – and water,” she said.

 

The cruise ship also took the travelers – many of whom had never before been out of the country – to Rhodes, Samos, Patmos and Santorini, excursions including a tour of the monastery and Grotto at Patmos, as well as hiking up a volcano and swimming in the hot springs in Santorini. Some early-bird adventurers also took advantage of the opportunity to visit Crete – exploring Greece’s most interesting archaeological sites. The cruise began and ended in Athens, where travelers climbed the Acropolis to view the Parthenon and took in the sights of the city, including the shores of the Aegean Sea, which feeds into the Mediterranean.

 

To many of the travelers’ delight, the first stop in Paris was the Eiffel Tower. While in the famous “City of Light,” students also saw the Arc de Triomphe, the Seine River, Sacre Coeur, Notre Dame, Les Invalides the Louvre Museum, as well as a guided excursion of Versailles – the elaborate palace of Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette which is bordered by the infamous flower gardens.

 

Though the trip was slated to be 12 days, more than half the travelers experienced a couple extra days in Athens due to a cancelled flight.

Among those travelers was Allison McAllister, a senior at Liberty High School. The entire trip was awesome and one she has dreamed of since she was a young girl.

 

“Since I was little, I’ve had this feeling of ‘go.’ I’ve always wanted to go and explore and learn about the way others live their everyday lives,” she said. “When this trip came up and my parents allowed me to go, I couldn’t contain my excitement. I couldn’t believe that this was really happening to me – that I was really going across the world!”

 

McAllister said she not only learned about the world around her, but also things about herself that she never knew.

 

“I learned that I can make friendships with those around me easier than I believed if I truly act as myself,” she said. “I learned that it’s really fun to talk to people from other countries while watching the Eiffel Tower twinkle at night. I learned that it’s really exciting to sit by tons and tons of people on the subway while listening to the way they speak with each other – and that diversity is one of the most magnificent things. I learned that the beaches in Greece will always be a second home to me.”

 

Overall, the trip allowed her to do things independently and experience things in her own perspective.

 

“It made me feel small in a world where things are so big and beautiful – which is definitely the most wonderful feeling,” she said. “I already miss it – and can’t wait to go back.”

 

Griffith said she initially considered the trip a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but though it likely won’t be anytime soon, she also hopes to return to Europe someday. She is left with the memories, an enhanced understanding of the French and Greek cultures and lots of new friendships.

 

“I met a lot of new people from Liberty High School and got closer with people from Bridgeport,” she said.

 

The trip was coordinated by Madame Deanna Garrett, BHS French teacher. She takes students to Europe every other year, giving all of her students a chance to go during their years at BHS. Prior to teaching at BHS, she was a faculty member at Liberty High School. During her first trip abroad with students, she took only a handful of students. Each year, the trip grows in popularity and numbers. When the 2017-18 school year starts, she will begin planning the 2019 trip. She encourages students to get on board. A former resident of Mayenne, France, she said she not only wants her students to experience the French culture and sights, as well as various other European countries and landmarks, but also to learn to travel, gain confidence in themselves and broaden their personal horizons, realizing that their opportunities in life are many.

 

Joining Garrett to chaperone the trip were Jessica Ashcraft, a former Liberty High School teacher now teaching at Washington-Irving Middle School; Courtney Rankin, art teacher at BHS; Cindy Hutson, a faculty member of Liberty High School; Brittany McQuaid, a special education teacher at Lumberport Elementary and Jeffrey Perine of Bridgeport.

 

The following students took the trip: Chance Daugherty, Caleb Daugherty, Jaryn Dodrill, Caroline Fulks, Madison Hess, Kenzie Kress, James Larosa, Nate Madden, Alec McAtee, Trey McAtee, Tori McDaniels, Eleanor Noone, Rachel Reppert, Maddie Ward, Rachel White, Joey Wright, Josh Wright, Adam Bentz, Lacy Bryant, Alyssa Dent, Lauren Farnsworth, Mackenzie Griffith, Kady Hayes, Nicole Larocca, Sydney McDonald, Jack Mitchell, Christian Olivio, Jacob Perine, Sierra Smith, Falon Snodgrass and Lauren Winkie of BHS and Cameron Cunningham, Daisy Gibbons, Lillian Gibbons, Victoria Lincoln, Allison McAllister, Bethany Stern, Marisa Watson, Andrew Winters and Bethany Winters of LHS. All travelers sang the praises of the EF tour guide, Pablo, who accompanied them on their European travels.During the 12-day tour, the group was also able to meet up with Eva and Arthur, both who were exchange students at BHS this year.

 

The first group of travelers returned Saturday, July 8 and the remainder returned Sunday, July 9 and Monday, July 10.

See the first gallery of photos featuring Paris sights at the link below. See photos of Greece in a separate gallery to run in the coming days on Connect-Bridgeport.