BonnerSprings.com

Melissa Garcia has never before flown on an airplane, but the Bonner Springs High School junior has just embarked on an trip to the other side of the world.

Garcia is one of the six Bonner Springs High School students that left today for a nine-day educational tour of China for their spring break trip. The students will visit the cities of Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai and not only visit historical landmarks but get a close-up look at a different country’s culture.

“It’s China. It’s China,” Garcia repeated as she tried to find the words to express her excitement. “How many people my age get to say they’ve seen China?”

The group will meet up with a guide in China who was hired through Educational Tours, the company that organized the trip. The guide will stay with them until they get back on the plane to come home and between then, will show them the sights and help them navigate a new country and language.

Jennifer Schlicht, a social studies teacher as BSHS, will be traveling with the students during the trip. Since 2004, Schlicht has been taking a group of students to a foreign country that includes destinations such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Spain, Austria and Turkey, to name a few.

“If this is how they can experience the world, then I want to give them that opportunity,” she said.

Schlicht said that sometimes people couldn’t afford to take an entire family on a trip outside of the United States so she looked at the school trips as a chance to do something that may have otherwise been out of reach.

Each year, Schlicht asks her students where they would like to go, and this year, China won the majority vote.

“It really gets the kids out of their comfort zone,” Schlicht said. “They pay more attention to the world around them and get a new perspective. The more you know about the world, the better you’ll be.”

Some of the sights that will be included on this year’s trip are the Great Wall of China, a kung fu dance show, the Temple of Heaven Park, the Jin Mao Tower and several museums in each city.

“It’s just exciting,” she said. “It’s exciting for me to get to be there with them when they get to see all of these amazing things.”

The part of China that Garcia is most excited to experience is the food.

“People keep telling me it’s nothing like the Chinese food you get here,” she said. “I’m just going to taste everything I can.”

Brian Callahan, a BSHS sophomore and another student going on the trip, said he thought the trip sounded cool. While he was a little unsure about the trip at first, he said that the days leading up to their departure were exciting.

“I’m most excited about experiencing a different culture,” Callahan said. “I think it’s awesome I’m getting this experience. I just can’t wait to see what it’s like to be there.”

The students will be back in school March 23. Check back with the Chieftain following their return for a look at what the students saw and learned.

Comments