By Emme Townsend
“It’s expensive, but it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Miss Amanda Craw said.
A trip to the Colosseum in Rome, to the famous poet Dante’s House in Florence, and finally to the Parthenon in Athens, all in only 10 days.
Craw teaches freshman English and senior Ball State English, but when she’s not teaching, she’s traveling.
Posted on the back wall in her classroom are pictures from her many trips. But students don’t have to just look at the pictures and imagine what those trips would be like. Instead, they can go on a trip with her.
From July 6 through July 15, Craw is taking a small group of 13 Delta and Cowan high school students to Greece and Italy.
You’ve probably heard of some of the destinations Craw and the group will visit: the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel in Rome, the Acropolis in Athens.
This is not Craw’s first international trip with students. In the past, she has taken students to France, Spain, England, Switzerland, and Germany.
“I love traveling, and one of my favorite things to see as a teacher is when students grasp a concept,” Craw said.
“I was really looking forward to the Italy part of the trip, but after doing my own research, I’m more excited about going to Greece,” he said.
The trip, of course, is not free. The total cost to each student is $4,104.
“That includes everything. I know it’s a lot,” Craw said.
This price includes meals, lodging, admission fees, and all transportation for the 10 days. It also includes a local guide for each destination on the trip, and a tour director who goes on the whole trip with the group.
Delta junior Eleni Bow also is signed up to go. She has been out of the United States before, but going to Greece is special for her. Her heritage is largely from Greece.
Her grandmother is half Greek and speaks the language.
“The language makes me feel warm and fuzzy whenever I hear my grandmother speak it,” Bow said.
Due to the pandemic and the conflict in the Ukraine, the trip does have some risks. Strict Covid-19 guidelines have to be followed, and extra precautions will be taken.
“I think it’s important for us to remember to just exercise intelligence and still continue to do the things that we want to do,” Craw said.
