HISTORY students at Shepparton ACE Secondary College are presently touring Cambodia and Vietnam on a trip sponsored by the school.
This is the first overseas trip for the school, and for many of the students, their first time traveling abroad.
“Shepparton ACE Secondary College aims to provide opportunities for those who may not have the resources to do so,” said Joel Hoffman, senior social worker at the College.
“There’s no cost for any of the families, which is fantastic. The school covers everything, from fees to helping students if they need help with documents.”
This trip is part of the College’s efforts to reengage students with the world following the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the first days at Phnom Penh, students visited the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda and tried unfamiliar foods. They also spent time at the notorious ‘Killing Fields’ at Choeung Ek and Tuol Sleng Museum, both of which chronicle the unfortunate years under the Khmer Rouge.
Students and supervising staff also participated in a cyclo tour of Phnom Penh, a city that was once considered the loveliest city in Indochina and visited the amazing Angkor Temples.
In Vietnam, the group plan to visit, among other things, the Reunification Palace, the former Presidential Palace of the President of South Vietnam and the Cu Chi tunnel system; a complex maze once home to communist guerrillas in their wars against the Japanese, French, Americans (and Australians).
The highlight of the trip will be a talk with a former soldier of the People’s Army of Vietnam, Mr Le.
“From photographs shared from staff and students, they appear to be having a fabulous but exhausting time coping with the heat, the currency and a very busy sightseeing schedule,” said principal Bronwyn Rose, who thanked staff for their support.
“This just couldn’t happen without staff giving a lot of their time and our whole school community appreciates it enormously.”
