To commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day, a historical event in WWII, students and teachers traveled to cities in England and France from June 1-10.

“Mrs. Pietrzak proposed [the trip] to the [Education First] people,” civics and AP Human Geography teacher Chloe Radd said. “They loved the idea and started planning it.”

During the trip, students attended a D-Day memorial service held at Normandy American Cemetery on June 6th.

“The city had been shut down in concentric circles from the cemetery out.” Spanish teacher Alexandra Stewart said. “[After going through two security checkpoints], we all got on a convoy, and the highways were completely closed, every overpass had military personnel on it.”

The ceremony was attended by approximately 10,000 people and had notable speakers such as U.S. President Joseph Biden, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and French Republic President Emmanuel Macron.

“They introduced all the veterans and the surviving veterans, and then they introduced the presidents who both gave speeches and awards,” Stewart said. “It was very moving.”

Additionally, the trip gave students the opportunity to immerse themselves in the cultures of other countries.

“My favorite part was getting exposure to both London and Paris and seeing how the cities were organized,” junior Aryan Ashta said. “Additionally, the D-Day ceremony we attended was a highlight since it gave me the international perspective on the event.”

For students like senior Amelia Bailly, the trip was an opportunity to connect and interact with fellow students outside of a school setting.

“It was an interesting experience, getting to be with people I don’t really talk to,” Bailly said. “I have deeper bonds with people who I didn’t know before.”

The trip’s cultural immersion and learning opportunities gave students alternative outlooks on historical events.

“My favorite part of the trip is seeing how awesome it’s received by the students and seeing how much they learn from a ‘vacation’,” Stewart said.