North Students Return from Ireland, Wales, and England

From March 15 to March 23, Parkway North teachers Greg Wagner and William Vogt  along with students from Advanced Placement classes visited several towns and cities in Ireland, Wales, and England

“The trip was overall a good experience.  It is strange, in a good way, to go somewhere new and see how different–and yet oddly familiar other places of the world are.  It was eye opening and enjoyable, and there were many great sights to see,” said junior Adam Laytham.

The students first visited Ireland, where they made stops in Dublin, the country’s capital, and several other cities and towns.  During their stay in Ireland, the students got their first encounter with European culture and lifestyle, rich with century-old architecture that is a rarity to find in the United States.  Aside from visiting cathedrals, taking photographs, wandering the cities, and trying European food, the students also admired the wide-open spaces, fields, and mountains that are a common sight in both Ireland and Wales.

“[My favorite part of being in Ireland] was St. Partrick’s Day when we saw the end of a rainbow in the Ring of Kerry, and just the fact that we were there on St. Patrick’s Day,” said junior Brooke Voeller.

Finishing off the journey in London, England, the students encountered several well-known sites and locations, such as the University of Oxford, Westminister, the London Tower Bridge, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and much more.  London prompted many of the students to be more independent than they’re accustomed to, as during free-time they were given a map of the city, of bus-routes and subways, and then left to spend their time as they wished.  This level of independence and self-reliance was a valuable lesson the trip provided.

“London was very cold, but I also enjoyed it because it seemed very modern.  They were doing a lot of construction for the Olympics, but other than the congestation that [it] caused, I really enjoyed touring the city and seeing all of the landmarks like Big Ben,” said junior Christina Wesley.

While the trip was most certainly exhausting, it was a unique. Only days after the trip, Facebook is overflowing with pictures from the trip, as cell phone deprived students share their discoveries with their friends and family members.

Written by Steven Chaffin