Got any plans for February vacation? How does a trip to Europe sound?

That’s right, if you are a Watertown High School student, you have the opportunity to join Spanish teacher Jennifer Chiodo and some 20 students and teachers this coming winter for a relaxing time in Spain and Italy! Instead of suffering the Massachusetts winter weather, you get to enjoy the warm sun in Europe while exploring Barcelona, Madrid, Florence, and Rome.

And it’s not too late to sign up. The registration deadline is Sept. 29.

As one of the chaperones for the trip, Ms. Chiodo hopes to “bring kids into real-world communities.” She wants to expose kids to other cultures, showing them that there’s more to the world outside Watertown and the United States. 

She specifically mentioned the trip being good for those who are learning different languages, but she made it clear that everyone is welcome, regardless of whether or not they take a foreign language class. You do, however, need to be in good disciplinary standing, so if you’re interested, you better start making your trips to Room 222 less frequent. 

Considering hotel and transportation fees, Ms. Chiodo predicts the entire trip will cost about $4,000, which can be paid in monthly payments, and financial assistance is available. She acknowledges that it’s an expensive trip, but claims it’s completely worth it.

What do you get out of it, you may ask? Besides the exploration and discovery of new cultures, you can earn three college credits just by going on this trip. Keep in mind that this trip isn’t just fun and games, you will be expected to do projects to make sure you earn those credits.

And make sure you have a passport that is valid for at least the next six months. This part is crucial!

WorldStrides, the company that runs these trips, works with many schools nationwide, and students who’ve attended in the past have made great friends with other students from other schools. Ms. Chiodo herself is still to this very day friends with some of the teachers who have attended the trip in the past.

The plans for this trip include two full days in each city, plus two traveling days, with everyone staying in hotels. Hotel reservations haven’t been made yet, but it will be around 2-4 people per hotel room.

Ms. Chiodo and the trip’s other chaperone, WHS Italian teacher David DeMaio, are looking for more people to sign up for the trip. The more people who sign up, the more chaperones can attend, as well. Students and parents can contact Ms. Chiodo and Mr. DeMaio for more information. 

Ms. Chiodo’s plans for the trips are already laid out for the most part, considering she’s had experience chaperoning three overseas trips in the past. It’s not always been Italy and Spain, one year the group traveled to Costa Rica. When asked if the trip destinations will ever change, she says, “Absolutely!”

“Being a Spanish teacher, we have so many countries to choose from, there’s so many Spanish-speaking countries,” she said.

(For more information, email [email protected]. To sign up, go www.worldstrides.com/enroll, Trip ID: Chiodo-2113.)

— Sept. 24, 2021–