story by Greta Reel and Gabby Bishop

photo submitted by James Kimbell

Red Devil students have the opportunity to experience more of the world in high school than some have seen in their entire lives.

Foreign language teachers James Kimbell and Lisa Stumler are going to France, Switzerland and Germany in June 2018, while English teachers Stephanie Detzer and Anya Evinger are going to Italy over Spring Break this school year. Social Studies teacher Drew Davis is going to Japan in June 2018.

“The most beneficial educational thing is seeing that everything there is just as real, and just as big, as our world is to us,” says Kimbell, who is marking his third trip out of the country with students.

Students will have the opportunity to see many places on these trips, including the Eiffel Tower, Vatican City and the Imperial Palace.

“Broadening one’s outlook about the world and other cultures is incredibly important,” Detzer says.

Davis’ group will end up experiencing a lot of the traditional activities of Japanese culture.

“We will sit on the floor to eat and sleep, and hopefully we will get a Ryokan (Japanese traditional house) that has hot springs that are privately connected to your room,” Davis says.

Despite seeing all of the sights, students will amazed at all the cultural things they could never experience in America.

“When we look at a place in a book or even on a big screen, we are getting much less sensory input: it’s flat, it’s small, it’s lacking in smell and temperature and wind and sun,” Kimbell says. “But when you’re there, you’re inside of the place, and you can see it in a new way.”