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SHHS Spring Break Travel Roundup: Greece, Costa Rica and Morocco

April 18, 2018—Shaker Heights High School students traveled to Greece, Morocco and Costa Rica over spring break, sharing their talents, extending compassionate hearts and reaching across cultures. Indeed, our students are citizens of the world.

Orchestra and Choir Trip—Greece

Sixty-five high school students from all orchestras and choirs spent nine days traveling throughout Greece. The group visited many cities—including Itea and Olympia—touring ancient ruins and performing in community venues including two churches and two cultural centers. Orchestra teacher Donna Jelen added that one of the performances served as a fundraiser for a local breast cancer group. “There were so many good vibes on this trip,” Ms. Jelen says. “Since we played in community venues, we were really able to connect with the people there—there were times when we stayed after a performance for 30 minutes shaking hands with members of the audience.”

Spanish Immersion Trip—Costa Rica 

Eleven Shaker Heights High School Spanish students traveled to Costa Rica over spring break. The students experienced the rainforest, two cloud forests, a volcano, hot water springs, tree planting conservation project, a school visit and cooking—all while speaking Spanish. Teacher Amy Fogerty and IB Coordinator Dr. John Moore chaperoned the students along with parents Winthia Mickler and school board member Ayesha Bell-Hardaway.

Service Trip—Morocco

Sixteen young women from Shaker Heights High School traveled to Morocco for an immersion and service experience. The students spent four nights in the remote village of Zawiya Ahansal in the Atlas Mountains, where they engaged in service projects including English tutoring, helping to construct a community center wall and planting a portion of the town’s community garden. The students also held women-only conversations with local women in the village and had similar dialogues with local high school and college students. In the village, the students witnessed the weekly slaughter of sheep and goats and came to understand the humane way the residents butchered the animals and left nothing to waste. “We learned to not only appreciate the history of the Moroccan and of the Amazigh people, but we made friendships and connections that will last a lifetime,” says High School social studies teacher Amanda Ersek.