Graduation trip with the whole school to Italy!
The last week before the graduation party and graduation ceremony, the whole school went to Lake Garda, Italy. What a fantastic way to end the school year, all together. We were able to make the most of the time with eventful days and joint programs, in addition to a lot of freedom for the students to take their own initiatives.
Peschiera del Garda
The trip goes to Peschiera, a very cozy town on Lake Garda in northern Italy. Lake Garda and the surrounding towns have a lot of history and Peschiera is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The city is located in the southwestern part of Lake Garda, and cities such as Verona, Venice, Milan and Breschia are just a train ride away.
Lake Garda and the surrounding area have an incredible amount to offer, and are suitable for everyone. There are many towns with a lot of history, various activities where the intensity can be adjusted, cultural/food experiences and taking it easy and enjoying the surroundings.
We organize the days based on these opportunities and at the same time we have a good dialogue with the students, so that they have a voice in the planning and implementation. Time is utilized and the days are eventful and suitable for everyone.
The students are divided into cabins that form a "street" with the terraces facing each other. In addition, the place where we live is right by the water and has, among other things, a café and a pool. This way we get a unique opportunity to make the most of our last days and evenings together.
Touchdown Italy
After landing in the morning, we took a bus to Peschiera and where we would stay.
The students were given the cabins and we were all placed in what formed a "street", with the terraces facing each other and a path down to the water.
We arrived in beautiful weather and it took maybe 10 minutes before everyone had gotten down to the beach to swim!
Gardaland
The first full day was a shared program for everyone. The day started with morning yoga and swimming for those who wanted it, before we had breakfast at the cabins and got ready for the day.
We went together to Gardaland (amusement park), which was a very nice walk along the water into the center of Peschiera del Garda and a little further.
Everyone had a great time in the park and it was a great day with sun, warmth and a good atmosphere.
In the afternoon, a group joined in on gentle yoga before the students cooked dinner together in the cabins.
Day off
The students had a day where they could choose for themselves what they wanted to do and where they wanted to go, and in this way they had a greater opportunity to experience other cities, go on a bike ride or relax by the water/pool.
The students made arrangements in between and we had groups that went to Verona, Brescia, Sirmione and a boat trip to several of the towns on Lake Garda, as well as some who went on a bike ride and some who spent the day where we were staying and in Peschiera.
Electives
There is an incredible amount to do in the area, everything from climbing and mountain hiking to kayaking and city walks.
In dialogue with the students, we organized a varied offer of electives that we had on the last day. This was a very nice day with lots of experiences and some who challenged themselves with new things. See which ones below!
Elective Kayaking - The Canals of Peschiera
Many students wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to kayak together in a larger group. They became a large group that set off on the blue-green, clear water and towards the center of Peschiera.
Peschiera has a lot of history and is on the World Heritage List. It is a cozy town that was built to take advantage of its location. There are solid buildings and fortresses, as well as canals that go into the city. The students were able to paddle in the canals and see the city from a different perspective. They had time for an ice break before paddling on.
Elective Bike Tour - Sirmione
In such surroundings it is very nice to cycle, and this was also a big wish from the students. Sirmione is a beautiful town and peninsula not far from Peschiera, so we decided to cycle out there.
The bike ride was very nice with a view of Lake Garda on one side and vineyards on the other and in good company we suddenly arrived in Sirmione. Here we parked the bikes so we could go all the way out to the peninsula. The students were able to spend the afternoon here before we cycled back home.
Elective City Walk - Venice
Venice is not far away, and this was also something several people wanted to see during the trip. A nice group left early that morning to make the most of the day.
Our trip to Italy is a bit before the peak tourist season, so the students were able to really enjoy everything Venice has to offer without too many people on the streets. They had a really nice day with a boat trip on the canals, a city walk, and great food experiences together.
Electives At the place "rest"
In a group, there are as many different wishes and needs as there are people, and when we also have such a good offer where we live, there were several who wanted it just as much as going out for something else.
They were able to spend the day together with a focus on social activities and took advantage of the time to get in even more card games, walks, swimming, good conversations, and laughter before the school year was over.
The whole school at the restaurant!
On the last evening we went into the center of Peschiera and had dinner together at a pizza restaurant. It was a very nice end to the trip, where the students also spent the evening/night together in the cabins to chat and play cards. The next morning we packed up and traveled home for the graduation ceremony and closing party. Everyone agreed that it had been a great day and that this was a very nice way to end the year!