Havre de Grace Students To Visit London Over Spring Break

More than a dozen Havre de Grace High School students will be spending spring break in England as part of a for-credit, school organized trip.

Deborah Cummings, head of the high school's English department, and fellow English teacher Elizabeth Ennis are organizing the trip that will begin March 29.

"A lot of the students in Havre de Grace really have never done a lot of travel and I think this is a great opportunity to expose them to the opportunities of the world," Cummings said, later adding, "I think it will be life changing [for the students], actually."

The trip is part of the school's culture club program and is endorsed, although not sponsored, by the county, Cummings explained.

"It’s the first time the school had done any trip abroad like this," Cummings said.

Students and alumni under the age 19 are welcome to participate. The trip, which will land the local students in London, England, will include 15 current students, two alumni and five adult chaperons.

While the trip is not part of a class, students will do course work once they return home in order to receive a single school credit.

The group will leave Havre de Grace March 29 and spend six days traveling with Educational Foundation Tours, seeing the sights including Stonehenge, Big Ben and Buckingham Palace.

"They’re very interested to see where Shakespeare lived," Cummings said of the students.

The group will stay at a Holiday Inn with four students to a room. Breakfast and dinner will be provided at the hotel.

For lunch, the group will fend for themselves.

"We’ll be sampling the local delicacies—fish and chips," Cummings said, laughing.

Cummings was able to get a sneak peek of the pace during a training tour in Paris, France in February.

"We actually got to experience what the students do," Cummings said.

Not only will the students get to experience a new country, but also meet fellow students from different parts of the United States. Groups from New Mexico, California and Kentucky will join the Havre de Grace students on their travels.

"So our students will meet all kinds of new friends," Cummings said.

A trip to Paris, France is already in the planning stages for spring break 2014. If that goes well, a 2015 trip to Italy and Spain could be on the horizon.

Have you ever been out of the country? What do you think of this travel opportunity for local students? Leave a comment.