PLYMOUTH — A group of 13 Plymouth High School Students are getting a rare chance to walk the actual roads of history, as Plymouth teachers Melissa Faulstich and Ryan Wolfe prepared the last two years planning a unique learning experience.
The pair of PHS history teachers spent that time putting together a trip to Europe for students to study history abroad. The group of seniors: Taylor Drake, Josh Hildebrand, Liliana Medrano, Quinten Rodgers and Autumn Wilson; juniors: Lauren DeMont, Kaitlyn Renneker and Gabriella Ruiz; and sophomores Katie Machlan, Alison Manges, Bryan Mullins, Kelsey Kruyer and Lauren Schumacher left July 10 and are about halfway through a very eventful tour.
The group is traveling through Education First Educational Tours taking a trip titled, “WWII and the Western Front.” The trip itinerary consists of guided tours in England, France, Germany and Austria. Wolfe found time to make a call home Monday night.
“We flew into London and got to go to the Churchill war room,” said Wolfe recounting the first legs from a stop in Belgium. “It was really neat. It’s where Churchill and his entourage lived underground planning and directing the war while London was being bombed. It was really interesting to remember who had been down there, and amazing that now we were getting a chance to be in the same place.”
The war room was exciting but the highlight of the London trip was a stop at Buckingham Palace.
“We were hoping to get there for the changing of the guard,” said Wolfe. “We started across the street and half our group got across and the other half didn’t and they shut down the street. We sat there wondering what was going on and our tour guide got on the phone and we found out that the Spanish King was there and not only was he there, but then there was a whole display of guards leading the Queen in a horse-drawn carriage. Prince Charles was right behind her. We were about 30 yards away in the front row as she went by.”
One of the more poignant moments came at Normandy as the group was near Omaha Beach.
“We landed on Gold Beach, one of the beaches the British would have landed on,” said Wolfe. “We made our way to Port Du Hoc and to the American cemetery there. It was emotional. There are two American cemeteries there. There were more than 9,000 white crosses. It was just surreal. I’m glad our kids got to experience that. It really gets to you. The crosses go on forever.”
Wolfe said, “Our tour guide encouraged us to go off on our own individually for a few moments and really think about where we were and what we were actually seeing. That was really powerful. That’s been one of my favorite days, just for the realness of the experience.”
The group paused briefly in Paris and continued on to Belgium and will soon head for Berlin and Munich. Another powerful stop will be on the way.
“We will get to Dachau and I’ve been there before,” said Wolfe. “It’s very humbling. It gives you a chance to reflect on what happened. You sit and think about what you’ve learned and the horrors that went on there.”
Sunday, the group will end the tour and make its way home, having had a chance to see things first-hand that other students will now be able to see through their eyes and their teachers’ eyes.
“We’ve encouraged them to really document everything — photographs, video take everything in because this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Wolfe. “Our guide allowed us to videotape him giving his speech on Normandy so that we can bring it back to show in our classrooms. It was a very unique way to learn that moment in history.”
