On Wednesday, March 5, 2025, eight students and two teachers departed from West Springfield High School and travelled all the way to San Giovanni Valdarno, Italy, for a ten-day student exchange program where they visited the Instituto Statale di Instruzione Superiore (ISIS) Valdarno. ISIS Valdarno has been West Side’s sister school since 2019, but this year’s trip was the first time that West Springfield students got to visit them. The Italian students have twice visited West Springfield High School, once in September 2022 and again in March 2024. The program allows students the opportunity to learn about Italy’s culture, language, food, and education.
West Springfield High School’s Italian teacher, Sara Switzer, and Science teacher, Leanna Toy, chaperoned a small group of students, who included Dominic Santaniello, Lukas Walker-Ray, Joey Mastromatteo, Veronica Cebula, Abigail McNulty, Megan Lapinski, Layla Simmons, and Nola Lane Borsari, on the trip. Students lived with their host Italian families and went to school with their Italian classmates. Mrs. Switzer said these experiences were important because they gave students “an authentic perspective of everyday Italian life.” Students also visited the Tuscany region, including Bologna, Florence, Siena, Assisi, Arezzo, and Bucine as well as some lesser known cities.
West Side students also had the chance to sight see. They visited the Statue of David, climbed Giotto’s Bell Tower, participated in an olive oil tasting in Bucine, ate lots of gelato, and got to know the locals, especially the teachers and students of ISIS Valdarno. Joey Mastromatteo said that the trip allowed him the opportunity to “experience the true culture of Italy” and “to go to places that we may not normally go to on a tourist trip.”
The trip, a bi-yearly and highly anticipated event, is offered to students taking Italian III and IV. Throughout the school year, students fundraise in preparation for the trip. The trip really highlights the similarities between the American and Italian cultures. For instance, Mrs. Switzer said that the American and Italian teenagers dressed and behaved similarly, showing her just how alike they really are. Joey Mastromatteo reported that American culture has a strong influence in Italy, mostly because of social media. However, he noted the differences as well. According to him, the streets are much more narrow and the food is more natural. One major difference Joey recognized was that people’s daily schedules and routines were much more relaxed than they are here: “They’re very free there, and with them, I kind of got to experience that freedom too.” West Side’s trip to Italy proved to be a fun-filled learning experience!
