Be it the invention of Doric columns, gyros or participatory democracy, Greece was a building block of modern civilization. Led by Latin teacher Jackie Hillman, a group of high school students and teachers traveled over spring break to explore the country.
Those taking Latin weren’t the only students on the trip; teachers and students from across the school chose to go as well as students from Hillman’s own Mythology class, Hillman explained.
“Everybody had an interest in the ancient world, archaeology or mythology,” she said.
Organizing a school excursion to Greece was not the first trip Hillman planned; three years ago, the Latin department took a tour of Italy, she explained.
“I didn’t want to do Italy twice in a row in case some of the students who were able to go three years ago wanted to come again,” she added.
Senior Theo Croffoot-Suede, a trip participant, said he is a member of the high school’s Junior Classical League, which is a club well-versed in Ancient Greek history. On the trip, the groups’ route covered ancient buildings in Athens, Corinth and Mycenae.
“Every two days, we were venturing to a new city or a new area,” he explained. “The major archaeological site we saw was Delphi where the oracles were.”
In their free time, students had the opportunity to try Greek foods, Hillman said.
“We had a lot of people eat gyros and souvlaki for the first time,” she explained. “Everyone was disappointed to learn that hummus is not a Greek food.”
Junior Shadow Salmon, a member of the high school’s Latin Club, said one of the most memorable parts of the trip was the Greek landscape.
“The mountains in Greece are really beautiful, more than I ever expected,” he said. “We got to stop by the Aegean Sea. I did a lot of rock collecting on that beach, and some of the braver souls swam.”
Even with so many places to visit, Hillman said the group still managed to have down time.
“This trip was a little bit more relaxed than our trip to Italy was a few years ago,” she explained. “A little bit later wakeups, a little bit more laid back, but it was really lovely.”
An advantage of going to Greece was getting to experience a culture different to that of the United States, Hillman added.
“These trips are exactly what experiential learning is supposed to be,” she said. “Kids are taking all the things they’ve learned in so many of their classes and applying it.”
Salmon said one of the most rewarding moments of the trip was getting to see the things he had learned about in school.
“We got to go to the Acropolis in Athens,” he said. “I really enjoyed seeing all of the mythology there.”
After six full days immersed in Greek culture, the journey home included a stop in Paris because of a 22-hour layover, Croffoot-Suede explained. The travelers made the most of the stop, he added.
“We were able to experience a little bit of French culture,” he said. “We got to see the outside of Notre Dame. We got to see the outside of the Louvre and take photos there.”
The trip was an all-around great experience, Croffoot-Suede added.
“I learned a lot,” he said. “I was able to explore a lot and it was just beautiful.”
