Lincoln-Way students back from trip to Europe

   Over the course of 11 days, a group of Lincoln-Way High School District 210 students had an opportunity to tour seven European cities in France and Spain and visit three world-renowned museums, including the Louvre, Guggenheim and Picasso.

    They saw Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, visited Gaudi’s breathtaking Sagrada Familia and walked among the graves of Jim Morrison and Oscar Wilde at Pere LaChaise Cemetery in Paris.

   “The most rewarding part of this trip was seeing our students use, not just the Spanish or French language they were studying, but helping each other to ask questions, use polite phrases and shop in a third language and be successful,” said world languages teacher Linda Egnatz who accompanied the students on the educational trip with teachers Elizabeth Conroy, Dawn Floyd, Pat Leonard, Alexandra Marquez, Katie O’Connell and Veronica Tylka-Shaw.

   “Students daily met people who spoke multiple languages and realized that own their language skills were a great asset in a 21st century global community,” she added.

   The Lincoln-Way students left for Europe on March 28, spending their entire spring break exploring Paris, Biarritz, San Sebastian, Bilbao, Barcelona, Madrid and Toledo.

   “Our focus for this tour was art and architecture and students experienced it all from Medieval, Gothic and Renaissance to Surrealism and modern Contemporary,” said Egnatz. “They learned firsthand about the art of making perfume, chocolate and swords at local factories and had the thrill of going up to 190 mph in the French and Spanish high-speed trains.”   

   Lincoln-Way students have had an opportunity to travel to a number of countries through the years, including Italy, Spain, Costa Rica, Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay and Germany.

   Last year's tour to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands had a science focus. Those students practiced their Spanish-speaking skills on locals, visited an international school, completed a community service project and learned about the conservation of marine resources as well as the power of the earth's gravitational pull at the equator.

   Next year, Spanish, science and history students will have an opportunity to travel to Panama to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Panama Canal. The tour will include science and history components as students visit the Smithsonian Marine Center and learn the history of the canal and how it was constructed.  Like past tours, students will build cross-cultural connections as they participate in a humanitarian service project and visit a school.

   “It is always my thrill and privilege to introduce our students to the cultures beyond our borders,” said Egnatz.

   “My goal is to help students visualize language study as a compliment to their future career goals and a door-opener to greater opportunities and salary possibilities,” she added.

   Among the students who took the trip this year were: Alexander Blachowicz, Jordan Brown, Melissa Brown, Kendall Carstens, Patricia Clare, Alexis Crowhurst, Hannah Dallio, Jordan Davis, Autumn Deacon, Rachel Deller, Alexis Derk, Gregory Derk, Paige Deubel, Alyssa Dietz, Michael Dybala, Nicolette Esparza, Nicholas Fazzini, Miranda Hobbs, Kelsey Karalus, Marissa Kulhan, John Laschober, Lana Laschober, Nicholas Marchio, Jasmine McCall, Jacob McNulty, Colten Moss, Lilian Orozco, Sarah Ortman, Priya Patel, Rachael Peavler, Amber Rouleau, Kathleen Sharkey, Mycala Smith, Julie Spies, Alexandra Sutton, Victoria Sweeney, Anna Walsh, Jessica Zemen, David Blakeman, Mary Ciszek, Heather Daly, Jessica Demma, Bethany Dombkowski, Bailey Doyle, Samantha Fowler, Meaghan Gallagher, Kelsey Hanson, Claire Kenny, Nathan Kies, Sarah Kirby, Haley Klosak, Ishani Kundaria, Jillian Labriola, Michael Lanigan, Susan Liva, Michelle Lorenz, Jenna McKenna, Alyssa Murray, Sarah Pajeau, Gina Quiriconi, Angelique Romero, Aviree Sabotnik, Amanda Scheel, Haley Staunton, Carolyn Aiello, Sydney Carroll, Gianna Gandy, Luke Hanlon, Juliana Heichel-Kaffel, Vincent Kolodziej, Scott Maniatis, Molly Noonan, Hanna Samawi, Ashley Slak, Katherine Kelly, Luke Scalone and Melissa VanKampen.