This is just a short note to thank you for organising the 10th grade trip to Belgium .

 

When she arrived home yesterday, Cassie spent several hours telling us in detail all about the trip.  She spoke of the profound emotional impact of seeing thousands of identical white grave stones spread out over many acres.  She told us about being brought to tears at the museum in Mechelen as she reflected on the plight of the Belgian Jews.  She recounted vividly the conditions in WWI trenches, the unceasing horror the soldiers experienced, and the enigma of young men rushing off to a war that they thought would end in a few months.  She described the differences between how WWI was fought as a fixed battle in trenches compared with WWII, which was much more of a "moving war".  Cassie's younger sister and brother listened to this all, and shared their own questions and reflections.

 

She also told us about how much fun she'd had with her classmates -- from squeezing everyone into a boat for a trip around Bruges to a practical joke in which all the girls donned the boy's boxer shorts for the bus ride home. 

 

She also enthused about how much Mrs. Gray and her husband had made the trip a success -- from the deep understanding Mr. Gray shared, to the playfulness and humour that Mrs. Gray displayed with the students.

 

We know that the school needs to weigh whether trips like this are worth it so we wanted you to know that from our perspective this was an extraordinary learning experience, and we greatly appreciate your effort in organising it.