This past summer, Ms. Blanken took students on a once in a lifetime trip to Europe for two weeks to explore the countries of Ireland, England, and Scotland. This trip is taken every two years as an opportunity for students to get a taste of diverse countries. We caught up with Ms. Blanken, the coordinator of these trips, as well as a student who took the tour this past June: Lexi Mercer.

FREDERICK SCOUT: What was your favorite part of the trip?

MS. BLANKEN: Oh! It’s always the expressions on the students’ faces when they see new things- getting to experience a [new] culture through the eyes of my students and some of them have never even been on a plane. None of them have been to those countries so for them to see these things for the first time and it’s always different than they thought it would be.

LEXI MERCER: My favorite part of the trip was Ireland for sure and the Harry Potter tour we took!

MS. BLANKEN: One of my favorite experiences was the day we went and visited a castle. I mean it was a cool castle because you could walk and crawl through little rooms and it was kind of a ruin, but you can go in and out freely, and the kids just loved it.

SCOUT: Why should students go on this trip?

LM: It’s an excellent opportunity to see a part of the world and be able to step out of your comfort zone.

MS. B: The next trip we are going to four different countries, and I think that gives you a real flavor of Europe. There is a lot of cultural differences between the countries which are going to be beautiful.

LM: …and you’ll be able to see foreign puppies.

MS. B: Yes, but it’s like nothing you’ll ever do in your life, especially doing it at this time in your life when you are young. The world is so new, and this is a once in a lifetime opportunity when you’re young to do this. To experience different foods, different people, and languages are invaluable. I have never had a kid say that they hated the tour.

Want to go to Germany, Switzerland, France, and Italy in 2021? Catch one of the upcoming meetings on November or contact Ms. Blanken for details. Get info and prices on this once in a lifetime experience to visit four amazing countries over the summer.