Reflections

Our last day in Prague is a flurry of activity. In the morning, we visit the Jewish Ghetto, the Hradcany castle, St. Vitus Cathedral, and Franz Kafka's former residence. The afternoon is dedicated to last minute shopping, and the evening to our going away dinner. We the chaperon's have a rather "Stonehenge" moment as we supervise a trail mix competition, give awards for the trip, and watch on as Mr. Goldwarg serenades us one final time.
On Sunday we wake up extra early, and go from bus, to Prague's airport, to Paris, to Boston. Excited parents and surely customs agents greet us upon our return.
So what of it all? What ways have we, both the students and the chaperons, changed as the result of this trip? On the Friday of our return, many students from the trip wore orange shirts in support of Amnesty International and encouraging other students and teachers to question them about the meaning of the statistics they broadcast. Friday even more Facing History students will travel to the Holocaust Museum in our nation's capital to examine the same issues that we studied on the trip.
Today, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has been accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity, but not genocide. What does the future hold for the families of the murdered in Sudan, the displaced refugees from war-torn countries worldwide? Will our community at school respond differently as a result of what we have seen, or will history continue without our influence? Only time will tell for sure.

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
George Santayana, The Life of Reason, Volume 1, 1905