History Department offers trip to France

Historians consider the D-Day invasion along the coast of France during World War ll to be one of the most important events in U.S. history.

This year two history teachers hope to bring students on a summer trip to see France and visit the historic D-Day beaches.

The history department is hoping to take an eight-day trip to France starting June 24. Only juniors taking U.S. History and AP U.S. History this year are allowed on the trip. History teachers Margarita Morelle and Kim Anzalone, their husbands and Anzalone’s adult daughter are the planned chaperones.

Anzalone said cost for the trip will range from $3,300 to $3,500 per person since flights are expensive. In addition, the many sights that the students will visit contribute to the high price. 

According Anzalone, the main purposes for the trip are to focus on the culture and history of France and learn more about the D-Day invasion. 

Anzalone has already created an itinerary that includes visits to the five D-Day beaches: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword, and many iconic landmarks in the Paris and Normandy region.

“We are going to spend three days in Paris and visit the Louvre, the Champs-Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe,” Anzalone said. “Then we are going to see not only the five D-Day beaches, but also the museums.”

During their time at the Normandy beaches, Anzalone plans to retrace the battle strategies America took during D-Day.

The group hopes to also visit the museum with the Bayeux Tapestry that was woven for William the Conqueror.

Apart from the itinerary, the deposits for the trip to France were due on Dec. 3 and a parent meeting also took place on Dec. 3. The schedule and trip will be confirmed by the end of December or beginning of January. Currently, Anzalone does not know the number of committed students for the trip, but she is hoping for as many as 30 to 35 students. 

In addition to the cost of the trip, many students cannot commit to the trip because of potential family plans that could arise next year.  

“The reason I may not go on the APUSH trip is because my family might go on vacation during the summer,” junior Neel Tiwary said.

If he had the opportunity, Tiwary would go to France.

“If I could go on the trip, I would definitely go because France is a foreign country with interesting landmarks and it is a delightful European environment,” Tiwary said.