COMING OF AGE ON THE CLASS TRIP

Last year, SCDS eighth-graders and their teachers visited Germany and Austria, a trip that included the concentration camp memorial at Dachau and the Berlin Wall, among other resonant historical sites. But the sobering moments were leavened by joyful ones: the “Sound of Music” tour in Salzburg, for instance, and the bike ride in Munich. The trip brought people closer together, notes Sasha Girsky ’22, in part because students weren’t allowed to bring cell phones. “A lot of people bought cards at a souvenir shop. We taught each other how to play games, and that was quality time together,” she says.

Varun Iyer ’22, feels a great deal of gratitude for the experience. “I think taking a group of eighth-graders all the way across the world to study such a heavy topic is a huge feat,” he says. “The trip also gave us a sense of closure. It was a happy ending to a long nine years.”

SASHA. I had never taken an international trip, and this trip proved to me that I was ready for ninth grade — I had proved to myself that I could be on my own.

VARUN. On a family trip, I wouldn’t have gone to all these WWII history museums and other places that deal with mature topics. I really enjoyed that.

VARUN. It was unbelievably deep. I still think about it almost every single day. During a speech unit this year, I wrote my speech about walking through Dachau. SASHA. Learning about more heavy topics in class — it’s easy to detach yourself and tune out. But when you’re there, you are forced to internalize it and understand what’s going on.

SASHA. I did my showcase project on the seizure of Leningrad, and I chose the topic because my family is from Russia. Then I learned that my great-grandmother actually escaped the seizure of Leningrad!

SASHA. I noticed there’s a much bigger emphasis on public transportation — whether it’s bikes, or the train, or the S-Bahn.

VARUN. When I came back from the trip, I found a book of the “Sound of Music” songs for flute. I memorized every single song.