Palmer Trinity School

19 F A L L / W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 PERSPECTIVES Travel experiences are life experiences and they are an invaluable part of the education at Palmer Trinity School. Students start traveling in 6 th grade and do so as a class through the 9 th grade and beyond. Many memories are made and stories shared. Whether it's at Marine Lab in Key Largo, Camp Sparta in Sebring, Florida, Close Up in Washington D.C., or Outward Bound in the Everglades. At Palmer Trinity, opportunities abound to see other parts of the world. is past summer students from PTS served the Lakota Indians, a part of the Sioux tribe on the Cheyenne River in South Dakota. Other students participated in an independent study course that was partnered with the Chadwick School in Los Angeles studying Scottish history and the political identity of 21 st century Britain. e course culminated with a memorable trip to Scotland and England. e PTS journey to China this summer was designed by our very own Mandarin teacher, Ms. Guo. Because a visit to China is not complete without climbing the Great Wall, we visited the portion called Badaling where we took a cable car up to the top. Students walked a substantial portion of the wall and enjoyed the mountain vistas and the grandeur of being in such a historically significant place. Isabella Swift, an 11 th grader on the trip said: "e experience that impacted me the most in China has to be climbing the Great Wall. After that first crest, you would look back and see the wall laid out before you as it crawls through the hills of China. It's an unforgettable experience to stand on something 5,500 miles long and over 2,200 years old!" e terracotta army, too, was incredible to see. e warriors are intricately made and each one is unique. Students were surprised to observe so many people working to restore the warriors in an area the tour guide called the 'hospital.' e Great Wall and the terracotta army are must-sees on a trip to China, and our trip included those places and so many more! Students also visited a partner school, e Experimental School, which is affiliated with Zhuhai No. 1 High School. PTS students enjoyed interacting with the students on campus by attending classes, playing soccer, basketball, and badminton, and participating in a martial arts demonstration. It was fun to hear the students' conversations about culture, language, and student life. By the end of the trip, many PTS students said the best part was visiting another school and meeting Chinese students. While in China, students were also able to visit By-Health, a diet supplement company, in Guangdong. Students toured the factory floor and watched as raw materials were converted into pills, bottled, and packaged. Sporting the necessary protective clothing to tour are Michelle Lairet, Emily Wilken, Brigitte Lairet, Helen Guo, Isabella Swift, and Katie Malloy. Students were impressed by the manufacturing process and just how interconnected the world is now. e raw materials came from all over the world, and the machinery used in the factory was mostly designed and made in Germany. e implications of technological developments were also discussed because more and more processes are being automated, thus, reducing the number of workers needed. Students also visited Hong Kong, Zhuhai, Guangzhou, Xi'an, and Beijing during the 13-day trip. In Beijing, students visited the Great Wall, the Chinese opera, Tiananmen Square, e Forbidden City, e Summer Palace, Olympic Park, any many other places. ere is a traditional style of neighborhood in Beijing where multiple homes share a courtyard. e residences are separated by hutongs, or narrow alleys. Students had the opportunity to stay in a hotel situated in one of these neighborhoods. One day they toured another area in a rickshaw – a two-person cart pulled by a man on a bicycle. During the outing the group toured a local courtyard-style home. Students also heard about the history of the neighborhood while inside the home. Isabella Swift reflected on her trip and said: "I think a student should take advantage of the PTS trip to China because there probably won't ever be another opportunity to experience this ancient country with someone who speaks Chinese fluently (thank you Ms. Guo!). Also, traveling with the school made me feel a lot safer because they take every precaution and have trustworthy guides. On your own, it would be impossible to replicate this experience." Be sure to ask our students about their PTS travel experiences. " Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a stor y teller." – I B N B A T T U T A –

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