UCCHS students share adventures in Spain
By CYNTHIA AUKERMAN
News-Gazette reporter
Several Union City Community High School students spent 10 days in June exploring the cultural wonders of Spain under the guidance of UCCHS Spanish teacher Jani Glenn.
To earn the money for their trip, students raked leaves, sold Tupperware and Randolph County Community Cards, and manned the contribution buckets for Union City's Christmas display. Wal-Mart gave the students a $500 grant.
Parents Mary Boettger and Becky Cummings traveled with Glenn and the students.
The students' adventures began in Madrid with a tour of the prestigious art museum, Del Prado, where they viewed the great works of Velazquez, Goya, El Greco and Picasso. Later they visited the royal palace, deemed the most elegant in all of Europe.
The students climbed on the statues of Don Quijote and his faithful servant in Madrid's Plaza de Espana. Nick Fields and Cassandra Liss, both 2007 UCCHS graduates, remember reading the Spanish version of Miguel Cervantes' book about Don Quijote in their Spanish III class. The book is one of the world's most translated works, surpassed only by the Bible and Harry Potter.
Each member of the group had his or her favorite experiences on their Spanish adventure. Liss especially enjoyed an evening watching the flamenco dancers.
Daniel Boettger celebrated his 17th birthday while the UCCHS group was in Madrid. The group's sightseeing in Madrid included the Plaza Mayor, the Puerta del Sol (the exact center of Spain) and the Plaza de Colon, a park dedicated to Christopher Columbus
The entourage traveled to the Alcazar Castle, which was used as a model for Cinderella's Castle at Disneyland, and they saw the Roman Aqueducts in Segovia. To the south in Seville, the UCCHS group explored the world's third largest cathedral, which contains Christopher Columbus' tomb.
Sevilla also has its Plaza de Espana, a place with magnificent architecture and porcelain tiles built for the 1929 World's Fair. Jack Cummings, a junior, was more impressed with the setting's more recent history as a featured scene in the "Star Wars" movie.
Then the group went on to another palace, the Granada de la Alhambra Palace built by the Moors during their invasion of Spain.
Among the group's favorite destinations were the cities of Salamanca and Barcelona. Salamanca is more than 2,000 years old and is home of the oldest university in Spain.
Legend has it that if a person is able to spot the frog sitting on top of a skull on the beautifully-carved facade of the university, he or she will have especially good luck. Nick Fields was the first member of the group to spot the frog, so he is looking forward to his good luck.
The students toured the Plaza Mayor, House of Shells and Gothic Cathedral which houses an old wooden cross used in the movie "El Cid," which starred Charlton Heston. Boettger, Cummings and Janette Ulloa, also a junior, recalled viewing the movie about Spain's national hero in their Spanish class.
Becky Cummings enjoyed her birthday in her favorite spot, Salamanca's Plaza Manor.
A contrast from Salamanca was the busy Mediterranean seaport of Barcelona with its Olympic Village built for the 1992 games. Barcelona also included Mont Juic with its colorful dancing fountains, Las Ramblas with its enchanting street entertainers and the Poble Espanyol, which encompasses every culture that ever occupied Spain.
Glenn aid, "Everyone was in awe of the architectural works of Antonio Gaudi. We found Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia, a cathedral dedicated to the Holy Family, absolutely breathtaking."
Mary and Daniel (Boettger) climbed to the top of one of the giant spiral towers for the best view of all. Ulloa preferred Parc Guell with its cave-like structures and gingerbread-style houses, also designed by Gaudi.
Fields and Liss had the benefit of being able to compare Spanish culture with Mexican culture since they had also accompanied Glenn on a trip to Mexico in 2006. Glenn lived in Spain in 1986 and has taken students on one other trip to Spain, in addition to making several trips by herself.
After all of the touring, the UCCHS group enjoyed a few days of relaxing on the beaches of the Mediterranean Sea.
