Westerville South High School physical science and biology teacher Becky Rollo explored the waters of the Caribbean with middle schoolers across the district and observed endangered animals native to South Africa with WCSD high school students over the summer.
The international trips marked a return to the summer educational experiences led by district teachers prior to the pandemic.
The trip to South Africa, for instance, was originally scheduled for 2021 but was moved to this year because of COVID. While in South Africa, high school students learned about animal conservation at Kruger National Park and deepened their understanding of the “rainbow” diversity of South Africa’s people and its struggle to work its way through apartheid. They explored the sights of the Cape of Good Hope, where they watched the currents of the Indian Ocean meeting the currents of the Atlantic Ocean.
She hoped students gained a global perspective from the experience, learning about other cultures and history as well as the independence that you gain from traveling internationally.
“It was the learning and travel experience of a lifetime,” Rollo said.
Meanwhile, middle school students who traveled with Rollo to the Dominican Republic got hands-on experience in the effort to restore coral reefs by working with a local nonprofit. They learned the importance of coral reefs to ocean life and life all around the world as well as the threats it faces from climate change and human impact. They helped rebuild reefs and snorkled almost daily to see them in action.
“Students left knowing that there are real steps that can be taken right here from Westerville, Ohio to help protect coral reefs and our local watershed,” Rollo said.
She is planning international education trips including one to Panama in 2023 and another to Italy in 2024 for middle school students. The destinations for upcoming high school groups include the Galapagos Islands in 2023 and Costa Rica in 2024.
Many additional travel opportunities will be led by teachers from all three high schools. All of the upcoming travel opportunities and information can be found at westervilleworldwide.com.