While many Diamond Bar High school students have plans with family or friends over this spring break, others are planning to stay closer to their school classmates by going on school field-trips during the week-long break.

English teacher Julie Galindo and Spanish teacher Katie Swetnam plan to take nine students to London, Paris and Rome from April 8 to 16.

English teacher Shannon Kelly was originally scheduled to take the trip but because of an injury, Swetnam, her daughter, will fill in.

This is the first time that either teacher will be taking students on a trip abroad.

According to Galindo, visiting Rome and London will help educate students, as much of the literature students study, such as many Shakespeare plays,  take place in Italy and England.

They will be visiting multiple museums and places which are referenced in plays. Students also have free time every day, strictly in groups of three or four, so they can explore the city and go to areas not shown by the tour guide.

Although this is a DBHS-related trip, it is not associated with the Walnut Valley Unified School District.

The group will be using Education First Tours, a traveling tour company specifically for high school students, which inspires the “learning by doing” type of education.

“I hope to introduce them to different cultures, customs, people and open up a world to them they haven’t experienced before. I think the more people travel, the more that they see the world, the more empathetic people become,” Galindo said.

History teacher Emily Clark and math teacher Latitia Thomas are also taking students to Europe this spring break.

They will be taking 36 Brahmas to Austria, Germany and Switzerland from April 7 to April 16.

Clark, also using EF Tours, is traveling with students for the sixth time. She has taken her students to various countries across Europe before such as Scotland, France, England and Italy.

“From a perspective of a European history teacher, this tour lines up really well with our curriculum. So, for the students who have taken my class in the past, or who are currently in it, it’s going to be much more meaningful for them,” Clark said.

For both trips, the tour company creates itineraries, including a walking tour of the inner part of the city that dates back to the medieval period as well as a bus tour of the modern city.

“I hope students gain a better international understanding and appreciation for different cultures and different ways of doing things. Travel, more than anything else, is very eye-opening. And you not only learn about the world, but also about yourself,” Clark said.