This year, Dana Hall is running a spring break trip to Iceland from March 6 to March 13. Though Dana Hall has held trips to other countries before, Iceland was never one of them. Twenty-one students are going on this trip.
This trip was originally proposed by Aileen Morley-McLaughlin, Dana Hall’s Johnston D House Assistant. However, because all trips must be led by teaching faculty, Kerry Shea, a Middle School and Upper School Science teacher, is running the trip.
“My understanding is that a lot of the trips in the past were more cultural or language trips, and as somebody who studied science in college, I wanted to offer something more STEM-based for students who might be more interested in that,” said Aileen. Though she has not personally gone to Iceland, she finds it “absolutely amazing.” “I think that Iceland is a place where there’s real beauty. My background is in neuroscience, and there are some studies about awe, where you just have that jaw drop moment. The studies talk about how important it is to have awe moments, especially when you’re younger, to inspire and challenge your thinking.”
“I was asked to take over this trip because of my environmental science background, and I was very excited about it”, said Ms. Shea. She is most excited about learning the geology of Iceland. “The things that we’re going to see are the things that I teach and talk about all the time. So I’m very excited to swim in the geothermal pools, and I’m excited to see a geothermal power plant. I’m really hoping we see the Northern Lights, I imagine we will.”
Aileen wanted to initiate this trip for Dana Hall students specifically because of the educational and cultural benefits travelling offers. When Aileen was 19, she took a year off before college and backpacked around Europe. “I think you learn so much from traveling, from seeing different cultures, places, and people. You can learn a lot in a classroom, but you can learn tenfold outside of a classroom,” she said.
Jessie Chen ‘28, who is going on the trip, is excited about “meeting new people and just having fun in general.” “Last year, I went on the Morocco trip, and I got close to a lot of the chaperones through that. It really is a bonding experience. You meet new people and then you just kind of stick with those people for a while and after the trip, you still continue to talk to them”, she said.
Ms. Shea hopes that students “get some understanding of Iceland in terms of how they use energy and what renewable energy can actually do, because that is entirely what Iceland runs from.”
The trip’s itinerary was developed by a tour company called Atlas Workshops, with a focus on environmental science and sustainability. Though the trip is science-focused, Aileen believes anyone would enjoy the trip. “But I think students that are really hands-on learners, like me, where you need to see it for it to click for you, they would like the trip more.”
Ms Shea believes that “if you don’t mind colder weather, and you don’t mind doing more outdoor activities like hiking, you would enjoy this trip.”
“Though I’m not a big outdoors person, I want to try something different, which is something I hope to gain from this trip. Specifically, I’m really excited about going to the hot springs”, Jessie shared.
Aileen said, “I worked with three different travel agencies all throughout summer for around four months, and I was delivered three proposals, each one being slightly different. The tour I ended up going with, I feel, allowed for the most exploration, the most unique experiences, as well as the best price point for students.”
“I’m hopeful that people will kind of be in awe of our planet and maybe as a result, take better care of it,” said Aileen.
Image source: EV Travel.