Pacifica Stories

What Happened in France? So Much.
What a joy it was to travel with Pacifica students and staff to some of the most important places in the world. Of course, we saw the obvious places, faced jet lag, found our way around unfamiliar streets with a language, not ours, laughed, and reflected. However, intangibles and surprises were the glue that made the experience unforgettable.

First, here are a few details. Pacifica took 86 students and 12 chaperones to Paris and Normandy over Easter break. We divided into two groups. The freshmen and sophomores made trip #1, and the juniors and seniors formed group #2. Each group had a tour with a guide, a bus, and lodging. The groups made two separate trips. However, the two groups did run into each other from time to time. We stood under the Eiffel Tower, cruised the Seine, walked the Latin Quarter, awed at Giverny, paid reverence at Omaha Beach, and became acquainted with a new favorite city of San Malo.

What makes these trips special is the unexpected, the extra time spent building relationships, and the organic conversations. This year was no different. To say I love the Pacifica students and have a fondness for each of them is true. This trip was an expression of that affection. A group of us danced under the Eiffel Tower, a small group had a special lunch in Giverny, some prayed together on Good Friday, and we savored each moment along the way. Those moments created memories, connections, and joy. The trip helped solidify a year of learning and living together on the Pacifica campus. It cemented relationships and emblazoned goodness in our hearts and minds.

World War II
Walking along the battered cliffs, standing in the sand at the beaches of Normandy, visiting the American Cemetery, and perusing the World War II museum in Caen helped us connect more closely to history and the virtues of courage and sacrifice. Standing in each location, one sees that life is bigger than what occurs in our daily life and that real evil exists. Not all is well in our world. War or the memory of war brings these ideas to the fore. I was proud of our students as they soaked up the experience in Normandy.

Art & Architecture
Beauty stimulates the imagination, feeds the soul, and captures the attention of the heart and mind. Climbing up to Montmartre and sitting on the steps of Sacre-Coeur gave us a big-picture view of Paris. From there, we paused in Monet’s garden, sat in the Tuileries observing the exterior of the Louvre, wandered through Versailles, and stood in front of a Renoir and Van Gough at the d’Orsay. We tasted the good, true, and beautiful in France. That taste stays with us as we come home and recognize the same things in our own environment. Sometimes leaving and coming back home makes life and the familiar more special.

Theology and Politics
The integration of faith and politics has a long history in France. Visiting the cathedral at St. Denis, circling Notre Dame, seeing the interior halls of Mont St. Michael Abbey, and observing the wealth of Versailles brought this history to the forefront. At St. Denis, we entered a house devoted to the worship of God and the eternal questions of life, and during that time, we visited the tombs of French kings memorialized at the same location. It was the heavenly and earthly, the spiritual and political coming together. At Mont St. Michael, the home to monks who devoted their lives to God, we saw statues of Christ with their heads removed. French revolutionaries of 1789 were not kind to the church, destroying cathedrals and art and sending clergy to their deaths. Perhaps they were motivated by inequality and the out-of-touch monarchy living at Versailles. Nonetheless, we reflected on these important themes and ways of viewing the world—one imperfectly devoted to God and the other questioning God’s existence.

2024 Trips
This year’s trip to France was sold out—we had a waiting list. Last week we opened the registration for the 2024 trips. The juniors and seniors will head to Italy, and the freshmen and sophomores will travel to England. The registration link was sent out to families on Monday at 8:00 am. The Italy trip sold out within an hour. Forty-three spots were secured, while thirty students were placed on a waiting list. It was like getting tickets to a Taylor Swift concert. Staff fielded calls all morning from students wanting off the waitlist. With some creativity and hard work, the school secured a second bus and enough chaperones to include more students on our tour of Italy. During Easter of 2024, over 70 students will travel to Rome, Venice, and Florence. The England trip is also expected to sell out. This is good news—students desiring to travel with their peers and teachers to see the world and to find out more about this big life is exciting.

So, we reflect on France 2023 and prepare to travel in 2024. It is part of our school's motto of thinking and living well. What a joy!

Note: We encourage students needing aid to experience the Pacifica travel program to reach out to inquire about financial support. We aim to have all Pacifica students travel at least once during their high school journey.