North Allegheny middle school students travel to Italy for spring break

A group of middle school students from North Allegheny had the ultimate Italian experience by traveling to the country during their spring break.

The group was led by North Allegheny teachers Megan McGrath and Jim Voland through an outside student travel program, EF Educational Tours.

The trip was not associated or sponsored by the North Allegheny School District, which held its spring break from March 25 to April 1.

McGrath said the trip gave 17 students an amazing experience in the country.

“Students engaged in interactive activities including feeding baby buffalo and learning how they make mozzarella cheese, training as Roman gladiators, and participating in cooking classes to make authentic Italian pizza, gelato and tiramisu,” she said.

Students also visited many recognizable sites, such as the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Colosseum and Villa Borghese Gardens in Rome, along with Vatican City and the Galleria Borbonica, an ancient underground passage in Naples.

Everything proceeded relatively smoothly on the first such trip for North Allegheny middle schoolers, according to McGrath.

“We had some small hiccups that were expected: some students not feeling well, losing some small items on the bus. But overall, the students were very impressive,” she said. “They navigated handling their own money to buy lunches some days and whatever souvenirs they wanted. They kept track of their passports and stayed with the group every time we had some time that wasn’t a guided tour to explore the cities.”

The flights went well, too. They began with a relatively short flight to John F. Kennedy International Airport, which included a long layover, so they were given a bus tour of New York City to fill up time. Then the trip from JFK to Rome was more than eight hours long.

“The students were great on all the flights,” McGrath said. “They didn’t complain if they weren’t seated with their friends. Most students slept, as it was an overnight flight. On the way back to the U.S., the students read, watched movies and played games. No students had any flight issues, and I didn’t hear ‘I’m bored’ once.”

Monica Borowski reported that her daughter Sophia, an Ingomar Middle School eighth grader, had a great time.

“This trip allowed her the independence of seeing another country in an educational and safe environment without her parents,” she said. “Her favorite site was the Trevi Fountain. She, of course, also enjoyed all of the food, especially the gelato.”

McGrath was group leader for the trip, accompanied by Voland and his wife, plus North Allegheny teacher Beth Greenwald, as chaperones.

McGrath said she loves to travel, and when she heard of this opportunity, she was intrigued by the idea of traveling with students. She spoke with a fellow teacher who talked about trips he took with students and the positive impact it had on them.

That’s what “sold me on the idea,” McGrath said. “Getting to see students come out of their shell in such a profound way was amazing to witness.”

Also during North Allegheny’s spring break, two high school groups went to Paris and London, and a summer trip to Switzerland is planned, all through EF Educational Tours.

Next year, sixth- through eighth-grade students can travel on spring break to Belize, and there will be a summer trip to the Netherlands and France. High school’s trips are planned for Japan, Greece and the Dominican Republic.

Informational meetings for families wanting to learn more about these trips will be held for current fifth- through seventh-grade students from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. April 11 at Marshall Middle School. A meeting for eighth through 12th graders is April 10.

For those who couldn’t make the meetings or need information, email volandtravels@gmail.com for middle school. Contact Emily Onorato for high school trips at eonorato.travel@gmail.com.

Students and their families pay for the trip. The EF company offers scholarships, both needs-based and merit-based, that students can apply for to help with the cost.

Information about EF Educational Tours is available at www.eftours.com.