Groups of students and teachers traveled to different countries over the summer to get to know the areas, try new things, and experience a whole new culture and way of life than what they’re used to. One group went to Ireland and Scotland, another headed the other way to Japan, and another went to Greece and Italy. The Ireland and Scotland trip was hosted by FACS teachers Daniele Munzer and Elizabeth Laley, and 12 students tagged along with them. 

“Well the last tour we went on, we did Paris and Rome, and I thought Ireland and Scotland would be a really fun place to see,” Munzer said.

Overall, it seems The Highlands was the favorite location across the board.

“I think my favorite thing probably was when we went to The Highlands, the mountainous area in the region of Scotland…” Laley said.

 Alexis Davis was a student that went to Greece and Italy with Señora Reese and four other students from St. Charles High. They also brought people that had graduated already, because this trip had been planned all the way back in 2020. 

“I enjoyed seeing the different aspects of the culture and then the food and stuff. I’m a big food person so getting to experience the actual food from where it comes from, and seeing the sights and stuff that you obviously wouldn’t see in the middle of St. Charles, Missouri,” Davis said. 

The last trip headed out to Japan, and the sponsor, Alex Messina, brought 11 students and two other adults with him. Messina chose Japan because of the vastly different culture and cuisine, as well as the very strong S.T.E.M. aspects in the country. 

“I’ve been to Europe before, several times, I’ve been to Mexico, I’ve been to Canada, I’ve been to other places. Japan is very far away and I’ve never been there, and it’s such a different culture for me, I thought that’s where I would want to go and it would be the most interesting,” Messina said. “I also thought it being a S.T.E.M. mecca would be a good interest in pulling students in and we had a lot of really good cultural tours that my colleges put on but I don’t feel we have a lot of science representation, so out of the tours that I looked at, that one seemed the most interesting to offer the most variety of new culture and science.”

All in all, it seems like the best thing on every trip was the food.

“I thought the food was fantastic, I am a massive rice person and it’s a rice culture so it’s absolutely wonderful…” Messina said.