Students experience foreign culture in Europe

Omaha Central students were given the opportunity to go on a once in a lifetime trip throughout Europe centered on World War I and II. Students, along with Scott Wilson, Tom Wagner, Vicki-Deniston Reed, and Jennifer Statsny traveled to England, France, Germany, Holland, and Belgium touring historical sites of both world wars. Mr. Wilson spent years coordinating the specs of the trip and finally was able to fulfill this journey.

Since there were thirty five students and only four supervisors, teachers were forced to take a more managing role as losing a student in Europe was not in their radar. However, this did not hold them back from having an amazing experience. Tom Wagner, assistant principal said, “It was an awesome experience! It was pretty close to what I expected. It was a little tough doing it in a supervisory fashion, but the kids were so great, it didn’t really feel like work at all.”

As students and teachers alike had the time to spend so much time together, they began to bond past just a school environment. “That is a great bonus to this kind of travel, we recognize about one another that we are also people with lives outside of school. Also, as teachers, it is very thrilling to see our students have 100’s of ‘wow’ moments all along the trip. Makes it all worth while for us,” history teacher, Scott Wilson said.

Students and teachers got the opportunity to witness some of the most prized monuments in each country. Having never been to Berlin, this was a particularly new experience for history teacher, Scott Wilson: “Berlin was a completely new experience for me. There was a lot of ‘wow’ moments there. The soviet war memorials, the Berlin Wall, the great guide, the history of the city…[it was] amazing.” John Woodworth, a tenth grader said,” My favorite part of the trip was the beaches of Normandy. While they were pretty and all, it was weird to think that thousands of people actually died in this very location.”

The trip was filled with extensive experiences for all involved. “It was memorable, but several things stood out. Seeing our students talking to the British D-Day veterans on our ferry across the English Channel was amazing. Being able to talk to our students about the Normandy invasion while standing on Omaha Beach on June 6 was too impossibly cool to describe. Finally, the trip to Margraten Cemetery in Holland to meet the families that take care of our Central Eagle graves was about as touching a ceremony as you could imagine. I won’t forget that as long as I live,” Wilson said.

Throughout the trip, students took away various lessons. “I enjoyed seeing the effect of the places and events on students who may not have traveled so far before. The visits to cemeteries were rare opportunities, and I could tell a number of people just don’t get to the beach enough,” said Vicki Deniston-Reed, a social studies teacher. “Before, the trip I always heard about the devastation and effects on life World War I and II caused but I never truly grasped what that meant. Now I know how many families were affected especially after seeing the graves of all the soldiers in the cemeteries,” said tenth grader, Carter Bruneau.

This voyage has paved the way for other history tours out of the country organized by Mr. Wilson. Especially because of how successful it was. “…Our tour director, the weather, the group of students, and the chaperones were all as good or better than hoped for.  The flights were on time, the guides were great, and there were no real problems on the trip. It all went along as planned…which was a huge relief. The last flight home from Atlanta, I just crashed out of exhaustion. It was a wonderful experience,” Wilson said.

For all who were unable to experience this trip, another in the summer of 2017 is in sight.