By Melanie Montes ’18
Ms. Fernicola, the coordinator of the international trips of West Essex, along with Ms. Dunphy are looking to visit Italy this following year and have planned the tour for the summer of 2017.
Any student who likes to explore and travel is able to attend.“It comes down to whoever approaches me and says they’re interested in going. I usually haven’t told a student they can’t go,” Ms. Fernicola said.
This past summer a small group of students took on Europe. The students who were a part of the European trip included; Sara Castro, Skye McCrone, Margaret Ribardo, Julia Miller, Deirdre Brady, Catherine DiGangi, Thomas Marano, Steven Lucero, Liam Fost, Evan Haas, Mitchell Lanzl, RJ Maroon and Mike Centrella.
Ms. Dunphy and Ms. Fernicola said they valued how they that the students were able to enjoy each other’s companionship. “I think how well the kids got along, all 17 of them. It’s sometime really hard to know what the group dynamic is going to be. It made the trip so much more memorable,” Ms. Fernicola said.
Senior Deirdre Brady has advice she wants to impart with the students who are looking to go on the Italy trip. “I would recommend that students have a close friend going on the trip with them. Also I would make sure that students have a strong tolerance and close relationship with this friend. You will be spending many long hours together and sharing a room” Brady said. “I would also advise that students bring comfortable walking shoes! There is a TON of walking. Students should be prepared to walk miles each day, so drink water and eat accordingly. I also recommend students stay off their phones as much as possible.”
Senior Catherine DiGangi said she had tons of fun in Europe and likes the idea of offering future trips. “My favorite part of the trip was the free time we got to shop, eat, and roam around the city. It was awesome to tour all of the major landmarks, but the few hours we got in between allowed me to really get to know the cities. I think we should keep on offering these trips for years to come. It is truly a once in a lifetime experience and I think anybody that has the opportunity to go on one of the trips should,”DiGangi said.
Sara Castro said she enjoyed her experience on the 2016 trip and that she was sad it was her last. “My favorite part was London. There we did lots of things like Jack the Ripper’s ghost tour, and the London EYE, where we got the best views of London,” Castro said.
Ms. Fernicola was happy about the fact that they were able to get along so well. “You’ll never forget because you’re going with friends,” Brady said.
