By Dean Tan ’18, News Editor

Over spring break, Newark Academy students and teachers travelled around the world, hiking across mountains and walking through busy city streets on the India and France immersion trips. Communicating in different languages, immersed in vibrant cultures, and surrounded by new environments, these members of the Newark Academy community were able to spend the break on fun and unique trips that engaged them in global experiences. As fun and exciting as the trips were for the participants, however, behind the scenes the school administration and the trip leaders were working actively to ensure a safe and successful trip.

On the India immersion, ten students and three faculty members traveled to the province of Himachal Pradesh in northern India, where they stayed with a guide and a host family in a farmhouse. From there, they departed to hike through the lower Himalayan mountains, part of the larger Himalayan mountain range that spans across Northern India and Nepal, staying in tents overnight. Additionally, the group explored New Delhi for a day, touring the Gandhi Mausoleum, the Taj Mahal, and going sightseeing across the city.

This year was the first year the immersion was offered to students since 2011. Previously, a group of faculty members, including the current trip leaders Mr. Rezvani, Mrs. Rezvani, and Mrs. Winiarski, also went to India to familiarize themselves with the components of the trip and prepare to lead the student immersion. Allen Zhu ‘18 shared, “The India trip was the best two weeks of my life,” clearly indicating a successful immersion.

On the France program, one of the three language immersions offered, fourteen students and three teachers, Ms. McNeilly-Anta, Director of Immersion to the administration, Dr. Fall, and Mr. Vinikoor, traversed the French countryside and immersed themselves in the French language and culture. Students lived with their host families and attended school with their French counterparts, practicing communicating in French and keeping a journal while strictly avoiding speaking in English.

Aside from attending school, the students and teachers also went sightseeing in Paris and Normandy, visiting attractions such the Louvre and various World War I and World War II historical sites.

The horrific and startling terrorist attack in Brussels brought a degree of urgency to the trip. With the ongoing terrorist roundups and heightened security in Belgium, the students and teachers had to be particularly careful when traveling, especially by keeping track of baggage and travel papers. Mila Nazarali ‘18 personally felt that the French response to the attacks showed “resilience in the face of human loss and tragedy -an immediate stance in solidarity with the Belgian people,”; the students themselves were informed of the attacks and remained safe at their host school St. Therese d’Avila.

Ms. Galvin, as the Dean of Students, was in charge of keeping track of various trips over spring break. She shared that the school has a contract with an insurance company that ensures a safe and ready evacuation of our school groups; however, the incident in Brussels was distant enough to avoid having an emergency evacuation.

Spring break is an exciting time of the school year, and the immersion programs to India and France allow students and faculty to experience different cultures and share them with our school community. Additionally, the school administration takes extensive precautions in ensuring that the trips are as safe as possible from any potential danger. As summer approaches, the immersion program will continue to create meaningful global experiences and enhance our school.