麻豆传媒AV

Students returned to class on Monday after Easter break. It looked more like the Christmas break had just finished, but it is Saskatchewan!

The SLC sponsored an Easter egg hunt in the rink for the elementary students just before the break. They came back to class withhandfuls of Easter treats.

The Grade 7 and 8 class sold tickets to become a king and queen for a day. The royalty wore crowns all day and were pushed to their class on a comfortable chair by members of their class. The king for a day was Conner Garrett and the queen was Allison Wawryk.

Grades 1 to 6 started their swim program Monday. They will go to the Battlefords Co-op Aquatic Center for five two-hour lessons. MICRA has contributed money towards the cost of the bussing.

The travel club returned safely from a trip to Europe. The first thing learned was German guide, Ines, measures things differently than we do in Canada. She said there would be a few steps climb up to Heidelberg Castle. Her few steps turned out to be over 200 steep steps.

Part of Easter Sunday was spent in Hofgut Sternan, Germany, which is in the Black Forest. It boasts the world's largest cuckoo clock, a glass making shop and Black Forest Cake.

The Rhine Falls in Germany were breathtaking. It was sunny giving a fine view of the falls. They are part of the Rhine River system. Lucerne, Switzerland is picturesque. It is on a lake and there were swans swimming everywhere. The group had an opportunity to walk over the world's oldestcovered wooden bridge. They boarded a gondola and then a tram to the top of Mt. Pilatus. Unfortunately, it was foggy and misty so the tops of the Swiss Alps were not visible.

Back in Lucerne, there was time to sample many of the varieties of chocolates. It was interesting to see the window displays of chocolate especially because it was so close to Easter.

The next day, the group made a stop in the tiny country of Lichtenstein. They received an apple from the city hall and a stamp on their passports. It is the sixth smallest country in the world.

Later that day, thegroup crossed the border into Austria. To get to Innsbruck, the bus had to travel through many long tunnels. Just before Innsbruck, the group stopped at the Swarovski Crystal Museum. They are famous for making Austrian crystals. There were certainly some very beautiful things to see in there and of course there was a gift shop at the end.

In Innsbruck, a gigantic Catholic Church called the Dom de Jacob was toured. The altar, ceiling and organ were amazing to see.

Along the streets were mimes playing many characters. One was dressed as Charlie Chaplin and he looked very realistic. The gelato along the street tasted delicious, too.

The group's hotel that night was in Tufles, Austria. It was up the side of a mountain so the bus took many winding roads to get to the hotel. It was gorgeous and many ran to the grassy hill to start singing, "the hills are alive with the sound of music," and in the evening many of the students played ultimate Frisbee. The hotel was 1,260 metres in elevation.

The next day, the tour travelled back to Germany. The first stop was a small village called Oberammegau. It is famous for putting on a passion play every 10 years and for their woodcarvers. It was a beautiful little place to visit.

An enormous castle called Neuschwanstein Castle was toured. It was built in 1869 by King Ludwig II. It was never completely finished. It was mainly built for decoration and he lived there only a few nights.

It started to pour rain on the way back down from the castle so a few were lucky enough to get a horse and buggy ride to the bottom.

After a night in Munich, the group went to see Dachau, the first concentration camp built by the Germans. It was a former bullet factory and then more buildings were added.

Entering the gates, there is a sign in the iron reading, "Arbeit Macht Frei," which in English means "freedom through work." There is a large memorial there and two of the original barracks. There are several other monuments and memorials and pictures with information. A documentary film shown and during the presentation everyone was still and quiet.

It is difficult to describe the feeling as you walk around Dachau. There is a stillness and humbling feeling as you walk on the same area where every morning, prisoners were lined up and their fate determined. It was emotional and Remembrance Day will always mean even more.

In Munich, a palace that was given to a princess because she had a baby boy was viewed. It was only her summer home. The gardens surrounding the palace were green and beautiful.

The boys especially enjoyed the tour of BMW World because they could sit on the motorcycles and in the cars.

Supper and German entertainment was in the Hofbrauhaus, a traditional German beer hall. The food was great and the cultural dancing and music was interesting as well.

Friday, April 25, was Natasha Pickering's birthday, so the day started by singing to Natasha and sharing a German chocolate cake. En route to Salzburg, Austria the travellers watch The Sound of Music. It was fun driving into the place where the movie was set and made while actually watching the movie.

A group picture was taken on the steps where Julie Andrews and the children sang the song, Do-Re-Mi. Salzburg is also the birthplace of Mozart, so many things connected to him were seen.

The last day was spent in Vienna, Austria, touring Schonbrunn Palace that covers 435 acres. It was filled with lots of paintings and furniture and wall materials from all over the world.

A few took a river cruise on the Danube, others did some shopping, some went to the flea market and others had cake. In the evening, many of went to the Prater, which is the oldest amusement park in the world.

The travellers had a chance to see many things and try a variety of new foods. Everyone who went on the trip will have a lifetime of wonderful memories.

Saturday, May 3, several students will accompany Mr. Lockwood to Regina for the National Archery Championships . The rest of the school wishes them the best of luck.