Trip to Europe
Level: Year 12-13
School: Wellington High School
Teachers: Kylie Merrick / Marietjie van Schalkwyk
Category: Education outside the classroom
A plaintive student query "Why don't we ever go on an overseas trip?" instigated a class trip to Europe after Wellington High School teachers Kylie Merrick (Fashion Design Technology) and Marietjie van Schalkwyk (Food Technology/Hospitality) considered the learning opportunities this presented. A hectic six months of fundraising involved teachers and students catering meals, appearing in a Teach NZ advertisement, and screen printing T-shirts, amongst other efforts, to ensure the trip wouldn't be a financial burden on families.
When three teachers and 20 students arrived in London in July 2007, the ten Food students were too busy to worry about jet-lag; they cooked and served a meal to New Zealand High Commissioner Jonathan Hunt and 23 VIP guests, commemorating the 125th year of meat exports to Europe. They had developed their recipes at school and during a practice run cooked and served the food to parents of the Europe group.
Their meal was a great success and one guest, Myles Kirby, a chef at Peter Gordon's Provedore Cafe in London, was so impressed he invited them to breakfast the next day. This was an exciting extra activity for the students who enjoyed looking through the kitchen and learning how it operated, as well as dining at a fashionable restaurant.
The Fashion students were looking at different aspects of fashion and visited a PR and Marketing company in London, where they were delighted to see New Zealand designer Karen Walker's latest collection ready to be sent out on a fashion shoot. They also visited The Daily Telegraph newspaper where chief fashion director Hillary Alexander talked about fashion journalism and how she had entered the field. They learnt the advantages of making contacts when Kylie, who 'knew someone who knew someone', made a phone call and arranged to visit Vivienne Westwood's studio. The students were tremendously excited at the unexpected opportunity to visit a top fashion designer (and delighted with the goody bags they received).
A visit to the Victoria and Albert Museum provided an historical perspective on design and a chance for the girls to see a huge range of exhibits from the past. They also enjoyed visiting clothing shops, markets such as Covent Garden, and the experience of people-watching and distinguishing the 'Hoxton look' or the 'Camden look' in modern London.
In Paris the Fashion group continued their exploration of fashion and visited some fashion museums and the Louvre Museum, where they were impressed with how the colours were so much more vibrant and passionate than in art books, and that they could see fine details such as the brush strokes. "Having a student cry, not from being home sick but because she's seen a favourite painting she loves, in real life rather than in a book, and rushing up to hug and thank me for bringing her – that was a cool and memorable 'teacher moment'," says Kylie.
The trip was organised to fit school holidays but coincided with Fashion Week in Paris and Milan, so they were able to take advantage of exhibitions, a particular favourite being Jean Paul Gaultier's design collaboration with a dance group.
Kylie took the girls on "fashion walks" around Paris, telling them stories of fashion history and about designers, as they walked. They visited top-end designer stores, markets where silk scarves might be sold next to fish, fabric shops, and button shops – places that were different from Wellington. At the designer stores Kylie would explain their trip to the security guards when requesting entry and some let them look around. Going in to shops such as Chanel and Alexander McQueen was an interesting experience, and one where Kylie felt she had to emphasise the "No touching!" rule. The girls had brought their sketchbooks on the trip, and were encouraged to sketch some of the fashion and scenery they saw at places such as Sacre Coeur.
The other group did their walking around food-related venues and followed an itinerary Marietjie had found in Cuisine magazine, visiting food stores, markets and restaurants and trying new foods such as goats' cheese and foie gras. A Meeting the French tour Marietjie had booked for a small fee was, she says, an amazing experience. Their English-speaking tour guide took them to little businesses such as chocolate-makers and bakeries, where ten proved the optimum number as they squeezed into tiny, underground rooms. At the bakery they were shown the authentic method of baguette-making and did the razor slices on the bread dough, and made croissants with the baker.
In Milan the students attended a day-long cooking school, working in a demonstration kitchen with the chef where they prepared food and set the table for their meal. They explored the local markets, which they found particularly interesting for the variety of fruit and vegetables which are not available in New Zealand.
The Fashion group visited a textile printing museum where they saw printing blocks dating back to the 1500s, and also enjoyed looking around the shops and markets. The two groups joined together for a train trip to Genoa, where they relaxed and swam at the beach.
Over the three weeks the whole group had gone to some restaurants for food tasting experiences, and the students cooked their own simple meals when they stayed at a youth hostel in Milan. They had been allocated money and had to budget for all their other meals. Marietjie comments that those students used to eating pies every day and resistant to change started eating fresh food for economic reasons, and developed an appreciation of different food, so much so that they looked forward to trying snails at the compulsory tasting session! She also noted that within days the students' skin had improved through the consumption of more fruit and vegetables.
The trip was a great success as an educational and personal-development experience. Marietjie says her Hospitality students returned to class feeling more confident and appreciative of food quality and presentation skills. Kylie observes that the educational impact of the trip on the fashion students was a life-long one and that back at school they were more engaged in their work. "They used their sketchbooks, filled with ideas and inspiration, for school projects and their Fashion work showed broader knowledge, experimentation and pushed the boundaries of fashion trends".
Feedback from parents was overwhelmingly positive – some commented on their children's increased levels of confidence or maturity, or that they were now motivated to work towards a career or to save for travel. Teachers noticed that their students' added confidence involved them in taking on more extra-curricular activities at school and Kylie remarks that they had made amazing friendships during the trip, and were still talking about their experiences on the last day of school. "It was a great, awesome, amazing experience. They got to go to places they mightn't have the opportunity to visit if they were just doing an OE".
Fundraising for the 2009 trip is underway, although Marietjie will not be going this time as she is working on a Royal Society of New Zealand Teaching Fellowship. Twenty students will travel to London and Paris (Milan has been dropped for economic reasons and to allow more time for extra activities) – if more apply, then a selection process will be implemented, as more than ten is unsuitable for visiting small workspaces. Kylie has lined up visits to a museum fashion exhibition, a fashion school and a Parisian milliner who makes hats for well known designers. She made new contacts on the last trip, one of whom has arranged for a visit to designer Dries van Noten's studio.
Students drawing by the Versace exhibition in Milan, Italy
