For the first time since 2001, students and faculty from SRHS travelled abroad to Spain! The group consisted of Señora Delgado-Lavalle, and Señorita Mantlick, and 11 students; Shannon Brown, Jamie Bassi, Jenny Bassi, Kelly Crines, Erin Doran, Tara Glover, Brenna Harold, Lauren Hickey, Alex Nappi, Emma Spang, and Anna Southwell. The trip was run through the Worldstrides program, and were led by their tour guide Hugo! They were also joined by another school from Seattle!
The trip ran from Friday, April 19 when they flew from Newark Airport to Frankfurt, Germany and then to Madrid, Spain. The group experienced the enriching culture of Spain through various activities. In Madrid, the group saw many monumental landmarks including Plaza Colon, Plaza de Espana, the Royal Palace, and the Reina Sofia Museum, that was enriched with beautiful artwork. One night the group took a cooking class where they made Paellas, Huevos con Patatas, Sangria, and the Spanish dessert Torrijas. The meal was very delicious and everyone had a great time. One day the group travelled to the small city of Toledo, where they were amazed by the stone architecture of the city. In Toledo, the group was taken on a guided tour to see St. Mary’s Synagogue, Toledo’s Cathedral, the Monastery of San Juan, and to a Sword Factory, as Spain is the Sword making capital of the world. Two students, Shannon Brown and Alex Nappi, even bought swords for home! After traveling to Toledo, the students spent their last night in Madrid taking a flamenco dance class. The group was graced with the lesson from professionals and they experienced the show they put on for them after. Everyone then took high speed train to Barcelona, where they were immersed in the fast and exciting pace into the city. In Barcelona, the group took a guided tour where they saw Park Guell, the infamous Sagrada Familia, Barri Gotic, and the Olympic Stadium. In addition they were informed about Picasso’s famous artwork as they visited his museum, and learned about Gaudi’s architecture and design as they visited his Casa Mila. The time spent in Barcelona was equally as rewarding as they spent a lot of the time shopping and experiencing the foods of the city, to bring home souvenirs to their families and friends.
The group made many memories from eating Tapas, Paellas, and Churros con Chocolate, to listening to a rap battle between Shannon and Alex, to practicing their Flamenco dancers on the beach and everything in between. The group will never forget the memories they made, and the laughs and smiles they shared, with the help of the hundreds of pictures they took. Everyone hopes that the trip at St. Rose will continue in the future because they want other students to experience the same exposure to culture and the fun that they had. The group flew home on Friday April 26 from Barcelona Spain, exhausted but grateful for the time they had.
