APHG students gather around the Pantheon in Rome, Italy, on July 6, 2024. Rome was the final stop out of the six European cities. Photo used with permission by Laura Annese.

Nineteen former AP Human Geography (APHG) students traveled to Europe to explore the rich history of the region. 

APHG teacher Stasia LaRoche took the students to multiple different cities in Switzerland and Italy, including Venice, Rome, Florence, Zurich and Lucerne from June 28 to July 9, 2024.

“There has been a rich history of Ocean Lakes APHG students traveling abroad since 2010, but the first trip that I took with students was in June of 2022,” LaRoche said. 

When looking to plan a new trip for the 2024 school year, many factors were considered.

“I let my students from 2022-23 choose the 2024 trip. Travel all by itself ties into APHG, so any trip will tie into our content,” LaRoche said. “European destinations have so much history and examples for all of the units we study in APHG.”

This trip was offered to any students who have taken APHG at any point during high school, which resulted in a diverse group that varied from rising sophomores to class of 2024 graduates. 

“Italy had always been a bucket list trip for me, and getting to go on it after having learned so much in both APHG and AP European History made the trip so much more real for me,” junior Ami Badiye said. 

Not only did the trip serve as an informative experience for students and teachers, but it referenced course content.

“Talking about the history, there is so much to each of these two countries’ stories. Particularly the religion is what I related most to APHG,” junior Kaitlyn Wilms said. “Due to religion being so relevant and important in these two countries, it was everywhere. It was awesome to explore the churches and cathedrals.”

Kaitlyn was a freshman when she took APHG and a member of the group who decided on the destination for the 2024 trip.

“This trip gave valuable experience that only an individual who is physically there can provide,” Kaitlyn said. “It is not something that a classroom can provide.”