By Raci Levine
Executive Features Editor
Mustangs got to see more of the world this past ski week as they traveled all over Europe.
Mustangs took off from LAX on February 17, 2023 and went to London. English teacher Taylor Dibernardo planned the whole trip and has envisioned ongoing for years. The Mustangs itinerary consisted of starting in London, then to Paris, Milian, Florence and Rome and returning home on the 26th.
“I actually started planning this trip in 2019 when I was still working at MBMS, but due to the pandemic, it was postponed until now,” said DiBrenardo. “A teacher friend of mine posted on Facebook about EF (Education First–the travel company), and I wanted to check it out.”
They used multiple types of transportation in order to travel Europe including; bus, trains, and planes. According to Dibernardo, she loved going around by the Eurostar which took them through an underwater tunnel from London to Paris.
“This trip had it all: flights, buses, train, and a boat ride!” said Maddie Hutchinson. “I really enjoyed the train from England to Paris and the river ride to see the Eiffel Tower at night.”
While on their trip they made sure to stop at a variety of buildings and artifacts that correlate to parts of history that are taught at Costa. They were able to see monuments like the Sistine Chapel, the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, David’s sculpture, the castle of Versailles, tower of london, Big Ben, and the Colosseum. According to Junior Caroline, she saw buildings and paintings they have discussed in her classes including AP European History and Advanced English 10.
“I learned so much through, actually getting to experience new places and see it for myself I learned about Canterbury tales, which I read last year in advance English with Miss.Valbuena,” said Hellie “I learned about King Louis XVI, Who Mr. Kofahl taught me about last year in AP Euro, and all of these places just used history. I could feel the energy of history everywhere I went.”
The mustangs day in Europe begins at 8am where they attend a group breakfast at the hotel. From there they would go into their tour bus where they would get historical backgrounds on the variety of artifacts and buildings being visited. They would continue their day with a group activity, lunch, then free time to explore the city.
“I loved experiencing different countries’ history, food, culture, and architecture.” said Junior Sophia Delino “My least favorite thing was probably how we only had limited time and night in certain places because we only had a week.”
According to staff and students on the trip, Florence and Paris were the favorite places to travel as they were enriched with culture and history. In Florence, they did a walking tour and went to a leather factory called Lenoardos to learn about the origins of leather. In Rome, they did a tiramisu cooking class and visited the Trevi Fountain.
“I really loved all our destinations, but I’d say Italy was my favorite. I fell in love with Florence and will absolutely return there.” said Hutchinson. “I also adore Rome and seeing different ancient ruins around every corner. The food is delicious, the people are incredibly friendly, and I cannot wait to go back and spend more time there.”
This trip bonded all the mustangs, students and staff that attended. The mustangs ended their trip with a final busride reflection on their tour. Staff gave out matching bracelets as souvenirs for all the mustangs that were brought closer together on the trip.
“My favorite part was spending time with the students and chaperones on tour. I truly enjoyed everyone’s company and had a blast bonding with everyone!” said DiBernardo “It reminded me why I love teaching so much–because I love connecting with young people.”
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