Sussex Central students travel to Ireland for research
Students and teachers in Sussex Central High School’s International Baccalaureate program took their program’s objective to heart by traveling to Ireland to conduct research over spring break.
Sussex Central is an IB World School. Students must apply and be accepted into the IB program, a rigorous interdisciplinary curriculum that encourages critical and independent thinking and intercultural awareness.
“It’s really like a private school program within a public school,” said IB English teacher Joe Macaluso, who coordinated the program’s first overseas trip. “It exposes students to foreign culture. The more understanding we have about other people and destinations, the more harmonious we can make the world.”
Before departing, students developed research questions about specific environmental and cultural topics. While there, they conducted interviews and collected evidence to create videos or powerpoint presentations answering their questions. The group visited multiple historical and cultural locations throughout Dublin, Galway, Killarney, Blarney, Cork and Kildare.
Senior Alexis Garloff wanted to know how Irish stepdance reflects the Celtic culture. So, while in Dublin, the group visited the Irish House Party for exposure to traditional Irish music and dance.
“We got to go on the floor and learn how to do it,” said Garloff, an IB Dance student who compared Irish stepdance to American tap dance. “I feel like the Irish culture is very unified, and the dance embodied that.”
Junior William Garcia chose to research climate change’s effect on Irish life.
“They have bike stations where you can rent a bike and cause less pollution,” he said. “Stores charge a fee for shopping bags, so you’ll bring them back to use next time. In the bog areas, where they can’t build houses, they have wind turbines to harness power and energy. I found they really went out of their way to care for the environment.”
Garcia also noted large cities like Dublin and Galway recognize the importance of trees in urban streetscape design. And in many old churches, crosses are enclosed in glass structures to protect them from pollution and erosion.
Senior Taylor Evick researched the influence of art on culture.
“We visited Catholic and Protestant cathedrals which use stained glass and are designed differently,” she said. “There’s art and murals on a lot of buildings and businesses, and a lot of homes have different colored front doors. I really liked the Georgian architecture.”
“They were able to realize how young America is compared to the rest of the world,” Macaluso said. “It was an awesome experience to sit back and watch them take it all in.”
