La Salle Visits Spain with Abroad Program
Fresh off the airplane with some expected jet lag after a whirlwind European adventure, La Salle Academy’s native Spanish class just returned from their inaugural La Salle Abroad excursion to Spain!
La Salle Academy spent eight days traveling around Madrid, Barcelona, Zaragoza, Toledo and beyond, and received three college credits and the experience of a lifetime as a result. This trip is the first of many for La Salle Abroad in the queue, including Italy in April 2019, England in July 2019 and more to follow in 2020.
On Monday, July 23rd, this group of 12 eager young men, along with myself and Mr. Robert Torres, Chair of our Spanish Department, as chaperones, departed from JFK for Spain. We saw all the sights in Barcelona (Parque Guell, la Sagrada Familia, Montserrat, Gothic City Quarter) and Madrid (Royal Palace, Gran Via, Calle Mayor, Puerta del Sol, Prado), took day trips to Toledo and the Mediterranean Sea, and of course, made sure we tasted authentic Spanish food and saw a real-life Flamenco show! (The boys even took individual Flamenco dance lessons, so ask them to show you a few moves next time you see them at one of our events.) Below are some photos of the students and Mr. Torres in all their glory.
We could not have done this without Mr. Torres, a decades-long veteran faculty member and Chair of our Language Department at La Salle Academy. Mr. Torres organized this very special La Salle Abroad trip to Spain. His vision began four years ago via his incessant (and successful!) whispering in my ear. His vision was reflected in the joy seen in our students’ eyes this past week.
The picture below shows the boys at the beach in Costa Azul, Sitges, in the Mediterranean. The boys literally RAN to the beach and into the water. Enjoying the beautiful weather and sunshine in Spain, we lunched seaside on cherries, watermelon and mangoes from some local vendors.
Cost for the day? Less than 10 euros for cherries and train tickets. Value to the boys? PRICELESS.