Final exams were barely graded when a group of Nebraska Wesleyan University students and their professors boarded a plane to Australia for an academic trip on the country’s history, culture and sports.
Health and Human Performance Professor Pat Pettit planned a solid three weeks of activities for her group: visits to Melbourne, Sydney, Cairns, Daintree National Park, the Great Barrier Reef; 20 academic site visits at local universities and museums, visits with industry professionals and even boomerang throwing lessons.
It’s just one example of the many summer academic trips scheduled over the next several weeks, and proof that learning doesn’t end at the close of an academic year.
Perhaps one of the most unique experiences will be the symphonic band’s trip to France, which will be highlighted by their participation in a ceremony marking the 68th anniversary of D-Day. The band will perform both the French National Anthem and the American National Anthem; one Nebraska Wesleyan University student will lay the wreath and another NWU student will play taps. The ceremony — held at American Cemetery in Normandy — will conclude with a 30-minute concert by the band which will play pieces including Amazing Grace, Ave Maria, French Military March, and Stars and Stripes Forever.
During their 10-day trip, the band will also perform a concert at La Madeleine and another on the Champs Elysees.
Meanwhile students in the University Choir will join seven other choirs —including the Lincoln Choral Artists, Bellevue East High Singers, Falls City High School Concert Choir, Western Nebraska Community College Collegiate Chorale and three choirs from New Jersey — for a concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City on Saturday, May 26. Two years ago Bill Wyman, Director of Choral Activities, guest directed a high school choral performance at Carnegie Hall. That experience led to the opportunity for his own choir to perform there. The Carnegie Hall performance caps a big year for the choir, which included an international tour to Estonia and Sweden, a national tour to Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska, and invited performances with the Munich Symphony Orchestra, Omaha Symphony Orchestra, and the American Choral Directors Association Convention.
Other summer academic trips include:
- Spain — Students will travel to Madrid, Barcelona, and Granada, and will attend four weeks of intensive language classes at the University of Alicante.
- Japan — Students will examine the sites they will visit and discuss Japanese history, religion, geography, and useful Japanese words and phrases. Students will visit Tokyo, Nara City, Osaka, Kyoto, Mt. Koya, Hiroshima, Awaji Island, Tokushima, and Hikone Castle.
- Honduras — Science students will participate in a marine biology course that will provide an in depth introduction to marine reef ecology and associated material, readings, and a dolphin swim. Students will gain an understanding of how to sample, monitor, and assess reef ecosystem health and will complete an independent research project of their choosing while in the field.
- Turkey — Students in the organization Global Service Learning will travel to Istanbul for several service projects including coast cleaning, a cerebral palsy art therapy day and work at an organic farm.