Over April Break nineteen DHS students traveled to Ecuador. Now you may think it’s a coincidence for so many students to be going to the same place at the same time but it wasn’t — it was planned.DHS partnered with EF Tours – a program providing Guided Group Tours with a learning focus. The trip was focused on Charting the Galapagos Islands and following Darwin’s footsteps. DHS students were accompanied by two teacher chaperones and a member of the EF Tour staff as they traveled for nine days.

The trip was focused on cultural discovery and exploring the flora and fauna native to Ecuador. Students visited Quito, Santa Cruz Island, Isabela Island, and San Cristóbal Island 

If you were at DHS last year maybe you remember hearing about the Spain trip. DHS students took a trip during April Break 2022, open to anyone, where the focus was cultural discovery. This year’s trip to Ecuador, however, was limited to only students taking Spanish at DHS. 

When asked about her experience, sophomore Bella Lonergan, said, “It was really fun! I learned about the animals and landmarks that make the country unique.” Sophie Xu, a senior, also said that she had fun and “would definitely go on one of these trips again.”

For anyone (besides seniors) who’s feeling FOMO about the trips, there’s still time to sign up for the Literature in England trip being hosted by the English Department through EF Tours, for next year’s April Break. The trip is set to be ten days, during which students will explore places like Manchester, Yorkshire, and London, even visiting Shakespeare’s birthplace.

English teacher, Mr. Jesse Cersosimo is excited about the trip because “it presents an opportunity to manifest the very sensations immortalized on the printed page.  It’s one thing to understand intellectually, for example, how England’s lake district served as a muse to Wordsworth, specifically, and Romanticism, broadly, it’s another thing entirely to be moved by that very same muse. The magic is still there! The interpretative context that experience provides is felt, goes deeper, than anything we can read in an anthology.” 

Mr. Francis Janosco, English Department Coordinator, says “We were inspired by the trips initiated by the World Language Department that were focused on student learning, through experiencing different parts of the world. Since EF Tours had a trip to England that was organized around the settings of some of the most famous authors of the English language we thought it would be a great benefit to students to give them this opportunity.” The trip is great for those interested in AP English Literature or wanting to learn more about some of the authors they’ve read in class. 

Although the Parent-Info Session for this trip has already been held, students who are interested should reach out to Mr. Janosco, [email protected], who can answer any questions, but they should do it quickly, as sign-ups will be over before the end of the school year.