This week on Thursday, the 11th-grade class enjoyed a small getaway to Busch Gardens in Tampa. The trip’s purpose was mainly to celebrate the holiday of Lag Ba’omer. However, it was also meant to serve as a class trip for the 11th grade who unfortunately missed their 10th grade Israel trip due to COVID-19.
“The class that felt they didn’t get anything this year was the 11th graders. After APs and all the academics during the year, they really deserved it,” said Morah Oshrat Twito, High School Activities Coordinator. “We decided on Busch Gardens and got everything settled…. I saw everyone uniting and having fun; it was beautiful.”
Busch Gardens does not only allow the thrilling experience of being on roller coasters, but the theme running throughout the park centers around a Safari atmosphere. Therefore, each roller coaster is associated with a certain animal. For example, the names of the rides include “Cobra’s Curse” and “Falcon’s Fury”.
“It’s cool to walk around the park and see natural life and also it being a really big theme,” said Lea Berkowitz (11th).
When the high school takes students on trips within the state, the destination is often Orlando. In order to do something different this time, the faculty decided that a trip to Busch Gardens rather than Universal would be appropriate for the occasion.
Students got to school at 5 am for a 4-hour bus ride ahead of them. As it was a Thursday, the class took the opportunity to make a Kiddush Hashem by making a rest stop at Dunkin Donuts to lane from the Torah. The students got to the park at around 11 am and enjoyed the park activities until departure at 6 o’clock in the evening.
“This was a very great experience and I got to bond with my classmates. I’d love to do it again,” said Eli Assouline (11th).
By: Kayla Herssein (11th)