“The world is a book and those that do not travel read only one page,” is the famous St. Augustine quote that Ms. Serena Mason abides by. Desire to enrich the minds of her students through travel has helped her to successfully run the Mason Tours and offer students the opportunity to learn through experience.

The Mason tours are organized through the EF tours every 1-2 years and coordinated by Mason. She has been running the tours since 1999 and has taken close to 1,000 NKHS students to over 17 countries. The price ranges depending on the destinations. It covers the cost of plane tickets, meals, transportation, tour directors, etc. Payment plans are also available and the earlier a student signs up the lower the cost will be. Mason tries to let students know 1-2 years in advance what the trip destinations might be so they can see if there is a trip they are interested in and plan accordingly.

Junior Katie Spitalnic is going on the Hawaii and Australia trip in 2015. She has been to Hawaii once before and many other countries including Belgium, France, Switzerland, Italy and several more. “I have traveled a lot and although not being home can be stressful I learn so much on these trips between life skills and education,” she said. “It’s really a good experience and definitely worth it. Also once I go off to college and start having more responsibilities, I will have less time and money for experiences such as traveling.”

Mr. Adam Laliberte went on the past two trips provided by the tours and he will also be venturing to Hawaii and Australia this upcoming summer. “It is an experience you will never forget and one you won’t get to have again,” he said. “The shared experience with that group of people is something you will remember forever.”

Mason works with other departments so she can incorporate their classes in the trips. History is a main focus for every trip, but science and language are also present themes. “It is one thing to teach about Ancient Rome, WWII, Pearl Harbor, the Cold War, or the Holocaust. It is another thing entirely to take students to the Colosseum, Somme Battlefield, the D-Day Normandy Beach, the USS Arizona, the Berlin Wall, or Auschwitz in person,” said Mason.

“[Ms. Mason] is the best at organizing it and good at communicating everything with people,” said Laliberte. He hopes students take away the culture of the places they travel to. “It means more when you get to experience something first hand.”

Experiencing history first-hand is one of the reasons Mason started organizing the trips. “I started these trips at NKHS to I could expand my students’ learning beyond the four walls of the traditional classroom. We live in a globally connected world so many of the student’s educational experiences and future pursuits are connected to places, people, and cultures beyond our own state and national boarders,” said Mason.

One aspect of the 2015 trip Spitalnic is looking forward to is getting to witness and take in the Hawaiian lifestyle. When she traveled through Europe, she stayed with a host family in Belgium. By being fully immersed in the culture it created a powerful experience that opened her eyes to their unique culture.

While in Hawaii she hopes to learn more about their values and beliefs. “I definitely think that travel allows a person to grow. I always find myself benefitting from actually seeing landmarks of the topics discussed in school and the culture of these areas,” said Spitalnic. “It is different to get a direct visual of places such as these then to just hear about them in class. Experiences such as these expand my knowledge, imagination, and overall just allows me to grow as an individual.”