Cape Italian language students travel to Italy
A small group of Cape Henlopen High School students who study with Cristina Christy, Cape's Italian language teacher, traveled to Northern Italy during spring break. The students were accompanied by several parents and educators.
Unlike prior Cape trips to Italy, the students chose not to visit Rome. Instead, they immersed themselves in Italian culture by visiting several less-popular tourist cities. Christy wanted to see her students experience authentic Italian meals and daily life rather than what typical sightseeing Americans might experience in Italy. People in every city from Venice and Verona to Pisa and Florence greeted the small group with open arms like old friends. The weather was ideal, and the students and chaperones all enjoyed themselves.
For an Italian teacher, the most rewarding experience is to see and hear one's students ordering a gelato, or having polite exchanges with hotel staff or store owners. Christy said, "It is very validating to realize that what and how they express themselves in the Italian language is because you have taught them."
Christy says her most moving experience was taking her students to the K. Robert Nilsson Center for European Studies in Bologna. Christy's parents established the center in 1965; it later became Dickinson College's first academic overseas program. Christy's parents’ original group of 16 students from 1965 established a sizeable scholarship in the Nilssons' honor. Over the years, the center has attracted students from many universities around the United States who want to undertake serious studies of Europe. Bologna University professors teach at the center and are overseen by a member of the Dickinson faculty. The curriculum focuses on Europe and includes courses in international relations, history, economics, sociology, political science, fine arts and Italian studies.
Cape sophomore Vienna Iacona hopes to study in Bologna and major in international relations. During this trip, she had the opportunity to meet and speak with a Dickinson student spending her junior year abroad in Bologna.
Christy says she would love to be able to take more students with her to Italy, but the approximate cost of $3,500 per student is prohibitive for most families. Because of this, she is seeking individuals or entities wishing to contribute toward student travel. To reach Christy, email cristina.christy@cape.k12.de.us. All contributions are tax-deductible, and, unless otherwise instructed, will be split evenly among all students. Christy plans to take students to Italy every two years.
