All three Westerville high schools have come together to create a new district-wide Travel Club, Westerville World Wide. This Travel Club is devoted to enriching the education of students by giving them firsthand opportunities to experience the world around them. 

Monday, Oct.19, Westerville World Wide kicked off its first annual Travel Week that ran from Oct.19 to Oct. 23. 

On Tuesday, Oct. 27, Westerville World Wide held a google meet for their upcoming tour for WWII and the Western Front. This tour will take students to witness the scenic views of England, France, Belgium, Germany, and Austria from June 6-19, 2022. 

According to Lisa Baughman, a South social studies teacher and Travel Club advisor, Travel Club has done several cross-building tours where any student from any of the Westerville high schools can attend.

“Teachers from both South and Central did a combined tour to Australia and New Zealand a few years ago, but we haven’t had this kind of organization to it,” Baughman said. 

There is one website and one account for all social media platforms dedicated to providing easily accessible tour information across the district. Baughman added, “Teachers from all three schools are holding combined meetings to plan and meetings for the trips themselves.” 

The WWII and the Western Front tour will have chaperones from all three high schools. Baughman mentioned, “We won’t always have tours combined like this, but the collaboration and joint meetings will continue.” 

Covid-19 has affected a couple of tours. The European Quartet tour, previously scheduled for Spring Break 2020, has been postponed to this coming Spring Break.  There is also a tour to China this coming summer in June. 

These tours, scheduled pre-Covid, are currently up in the air. “Right now, we are in a wait-and-see pattern for both these tours,” Baughman said. Baughman added, “But this has not dampened our spirits!”

Despite delays and the uncertainties with travel, there are definite benefits to traveling abroad.  In summer 2019, Lilli Malone, a junior here at South, went with the South Travel Club on the Europe tour. They traveled through Germany, Poland, Switzerland, Austria, and the Czech Republic. 

Malone said, “My favorite memory from the trip was traveling around Germany because it gave me such an amazing perspective on the way that the rest of the world works.”

Malone also mentioned, “I highly recommend the Travel Club to anyone who wants a new perspective on things, likes to learn, meet new people, and have amazing experiences.” Malone added, “I have been to ten countries so far, but I hope to travel to many more in the future, including the trip to China this coming summer through Travel Club.”

Travel Club is currently focused on their future plans and promoting the upcoming 2022 tours.