One thing that almost everyone loves is a good trip or vacation. Whether it is somewhere ten minutes or ten hours away from home, people sometimes like to get away from home. For one group at West Greene Junior Senior High School, it’s often much farther away than that. That club is the International Club.
The International Club was started at West Greene in 2012 by Rebecca Martinak, a teacher at West Greene. “As a teacher, I thought how great it would be for my school to offer a chance for students to travel the world,” Martinak says. After being around for a little over a decade, the club has traveled to many different places across the globe. In 2013, the year after the group was approved, they took a trip to London and Paris. There they got to see incredible sights like the Eiffel Tower and Big Ben. They got to ride on the London Eye and the Channel Tunnel Eurostar train. Their next trip took them to Greece and Italy in 2015, where they saw the Colosseum and the ruins of Pompeii. They also took a cruise ship to go from Greece to Italy.
Unfortunately, the pandemic stopped additional travel plans for the club as it shut down travel around the world, and they have been unable to go anywhere else. “The pandemic hit the club hard, as travel was curtailed basically worldwide. Our plans had considered various destinations; Ireland, Asia, Italy, but we were unable to travel during the pandemic.”
The members of the club are getting back on track and are planning to take a trip to Iceland in 2024. In Iceland they will get to see geysers, waterfalls, and viking museums. As of right now, there are twelve students going on the trip to Iceland along with the teacher chaperones Martinak and fellow West Greene teacher Jeff Polander.
There are many positives that come out of the students’ experiences while participating in the club: “Being exposed to different things – people, places, ideas – is an education in itself. Being in unfamiliar territory, I always make certain the students understand this is an educational tour. Yes, we will have fun, but we are here to learn.” Martinak says.
One of the big things about the club is that they are not just seeing the places they visit, but are getting to experience the place as well. Whether it’s eating the food or interacting with the people of another culture it is more than just seeing the sights of the destination. “We look at everything. I always tell the students that anything the tour guide offers as optional to us means get in line. They learn to be curious, to investigate and to learn. I always tell them once we return, they will never be the same. Maybe it’s just something as simple as they’ve already been to an airport, or a hotel. Or it might be the view of the Eiffel Tower lit up at night. That connection with the world has been made and will never be broken.”
The one thing about this club that seems certain is that the students in it will make memories that will last a lifetime.