Travel Club

The S.S.S. Travel Club is planning an exciting trip for Easter 2011!! We will be touring Central European cities and historical sites over a period of 11 days in March and April. Starting in Berlin, where we will visit the memorial at the former site of the Berlin Wall, we will be journeying through history as well as experiencing the modern culture of this vibrant city. With visits to the Jewish Museum, Prague Jewish Quarter, Krakow, and Auschwitz, the students will learn first hand about the atrocities of the Holocaust, providing a vivid background to their studies in both English and Social Studies. On the lighter side, they will enjoy a cruise on the Danube River;  visits to castles, cathedrals, and opera houses; and a chance to shop at a Medieval Market Square as they absorb the fascinating culture of Prague, Budapest, and Vienna, three of the “must-see” cities in Europe.

French Travel Club

Bonjour, la France!

This Easter, the Sexsmith Secondary French Travel Club visited Paris and did a castle tour in northern France.  Students included Amanda A., Lauren B., Leah B., Danica D., Gayle M., Heather P., Angelina S., Allyson S., Tori K., and Kylie F..  Adults included Carla F., Jason K. and Monsieur and Madame Rooke.

First touching down in Paris, the group visited Notre Dame Cathedral, where Napoleon crowned himself emperor in 1804.  They also went up to the top of the Arc de Triomphe, visited the Eiffel Tower, and toured Versailles, the elaborate palace of Louis XIV.  They also went on a cruise down the Seine River in a bateau mouche.

They then continued on to the north of France, visiting the Loire Valley, including the cathedral of Chartres, Europe’s grandest Gothic (13th century) cathedral.  They also visited the Château de Chambord, the largest of all the Loire Valley châteaux.  They then toured the Château de Chenonceau and the Château d’Amboise.  They saw the tomb of Leonardo da Vinci and had dinner in a habitation troglodytique, a medieval cave beneath France’s Loire Valley.

They also visited the monastery of Mont-St-Michel, an 8th-century abbey perched high on a granite rock, surrounded by water at high tide and quicksand at low tide.    They also spent the evening in the seaside town of St. Malo, from which pirates once set sail.

A memorable part of the trip included visiting Juno Beach in Normandy, site of the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944.  While in Normandy, they visited the Canadian cemetery, the Juno Beach Centre and the Caen Museum of Peace, which pays tribute to WWII troops who fought on the beaches of Normandy.

Continuing back to Paris, the students visited Rouen, where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake during the Hundred Year’s War.  Back in Paris, the group visited the Louvre Museum, seeing such iconic works as the Mona Lisa, the Winged Victory and the Venus de Milo. The last evening was spent in the Eiffel Tower, surveying the famous landmarks of Paris for one last time.

Many memories were made on this trip and the students had ample opportunity to use their French language skills.  Many of the students vow to return again to the City of Lights and bring friends and family members to experience the wonders that they had previously only read about in textbooks. 

Plans are already underway for a trip to Québec City and Montréal next Easter with grade eight and nine French students.  Another trip to Paris and the south of France is planned in 2010 and is open to all students enrolled in French in grades eleven and twelve at Sexsmith Secondary School.

In the spring of 2009, the grade eight and nine students enrolled in French will have the opportunity to visit Québec City and Montréal. While there, they will see the Château Frontenac, the Plains of Abraham, the Musée de la Civilisation and learn about Québec's rich history. They will also visit Monmorency Falls, visit a copper museum, where they will try their hand at the age-old craft of copper engraving, visit Ste-Anne de-Beaupré Basilica, and experience an authentic French Canadian meal as well as traditional songs, games and dancing. In Montréal, students will have a guided sight-seeing tour, including such highlights as Notre Dame Basilica, Mont Royal, McGill University, the Biodome, the Olympic Stadium and Vieux Montréal.