Students Travel Over Spring Break

English instructor Micki McMillan reports on a Spring Break trip she directed for Blair students: “We visited Southern Germany, Switzerland and Austria for 10 days. While there, we experienced the castles and fortresses of Wuerzburg, Rothenburg, Neuschwanstein, Liechtenstein and Lucerne, to name a few. We were awed by the majestic Alps! We also visited the somber site of the Dachau concentration camp outside of Munich, and Congress Hall, the site of Hitler’s Nazi rallies, outside of Nuremberg. We learned about Mad King Ludwig II and composer Richard Wagner. We also viewed Mozart’s birthplace and the house he grew up in; the Olympic stadium where the political massacres of the 1972 Olympics began; and glacial potholes, which are ages old. Fondue in Switzerland and sausages in Nuremberg are just a sample of the tempting local cuisine on which we dined.”

Assistant Chaplain Cynthia Crowner, several other faculty members and a group of students participated in a Hurricane Katrina Mission Trip to Gulfport, Miss., over break. Several of the students share their thoughts on the experience: “The Katrina Recovery Mission trip has benefited me in numerous ways,” said Victor Saha ’08. “I’ve seen how important it is for everyone to care so that the world becomes a better place. After the hurricane, Gulfport became a disaster, but with thousands of volunteers from all over the country, the city has improved significantly. Yet there is much more work to be completed, and our group went to the work sites with intentions of doing whatever we could to help out the Mississippians. Individually, no one was able to accomplish much; however, when we all worked together, we were able to make significant progress during our time here…But the most important part of this trip was meeting the people associated with the recovery program. There were two victims who had lost their loved ones during the hurricane; yet, they had the willpower to be cheerful and continue with their lives. Others were volunteers who had come from across the country to help in the program for months. Their dedication to help inspired me to become a more thoughtful person. From them, I realized that it is more important to try to make a positive impact on others’ lives than to worry about the little things that happens to all of us in our typical days. Truly, this experience has been very rewarding, and from now on I will make more of an effort to help others.”

Emma Small ’07, added, “The things that I want to remember the most about this trip are the stories that I heard. Each one was so different, but equally heart breaking. I had no idea what to expect going into this trip, and I definitely did not expect to be so personally affected. Cleaning a lawn was just cleaning a lawn to me. Painting a house was simply painting. Then I met Margaret, and all of the sudden it was helping someone’s life. She had been through so much and lost so many who were close to her. Though painting or cleaning seemed like a small gift, at least I was helping…Each of these people had a story, a memory. This is what kept me working through the week.”

French teacher Maria Bowditch and a group of French 2 and 3 students enjoyed a 12-day home-stay and community service trip to Normandy, France, over Spring Break (see photos below.) She noted, “This was a great opportunity to improve French communication skills in real-life situations. Certainly the important historic ties between the United States and Normandy since the war made for cordial relations past and present. The group received a warm welcome from the town of Valognes, located three hours north of Paris, and from faculty and students at the Lycée Henri Cornat, a public boarding/day school of 800 students, grades 10-12. Blair students attended classes each morning with their French hosts. After lunch, students did volunteer work either at a local elementary school, a retirement community or in a shop. One afternoon the group traveled to the American cemetery at Omaha Beach and the museum in Sainte-Mère Eglise, the site of the first paratrooper landings during World War II.

During the three-day visit to Paris, Blair students explored various sites and museums including the Da Vinci Code tour of the Louvre. The students also took part in France’s recent initiative by the ministry of health to combat discrimination against those infected with AIDS and HIV; in March, it called on its citizens to overcome their reserve by physically embracing perfect strangers who hoist signs in the street saying, in English, “free hugs.”

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Posted 4/2/07

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