Francis Parker students trot the globe

RANCHO SANTA FE— Each year, Francis Parker School eighth-graders have the opportunity to travel nationally or internationally during Discovery Week. This year the students chose from trips to Canada, China, England or New York.
From March 30 through April 3, 12 students will head to Montreal and Quebec including Rancho Santa Fe residents Colin Grey and Ryan Watanabe. They plan to tour several local monuments including the World Trade Centre in Old Montreal, the Notre Dame Basilica, Parc Olympique, and the Biodome de Montreal. Additionally, they’ll ascend the Funiculaire. Once in Quebec, the Lancers will visit Assemblee Nationale, the Plains of Abraham, the Citadelle, the Promenade des Gouveneurs and the Terrasse Dufferin, followed with dinner at the historic Restaurant le Bonaparte. The students will also visit the National Battlefields Commission’s Maison de la Decouverte lo learn the history of Quebec. The final days include a sugar shack tour, and some traditional dancing and food.
Another group has headed to London and Wales through April 2. Rancho Santa Fe residents Gina Belli, Reese McCaskill, Sarah Schnell and Alena Silberman are among those who will tour Stonehenge, and the cultural center of Bristol, a former major port, Somerset, and on day four, travel to Wales for a tour of medieval Caerphilly Castle and a walking tour of Cardiff. Next, the students will journey to Stratford-upon-Avon and tour Anne Hathaway’s cottage and the house on Henley Street known as Shakespeare’s birthplace. Before heading to London, the students will explore the City of Dreaming Spires, Oxford, and the magnificent Christ Church Cathedral. The trip culminates with a tour of London, and visits to the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and St. Paul’s Cathedral.