The skiing tradition at Luzac The Hague, a private secondary school on the Oranjestraat, had been severely disrupted by the pandemic. "For two years in a row, we were unable to organise the trip for Year 10 and above. When we finally went again in 2023, we decided it would be the last time," says Pauline Heistein-ten Zeldam. "Simply too risky." But one thing the departing headteacher (67) was certain of: the February trip would stay on the calendar. "It is such a powerful way to build connections, both among the pupils and between them and the teachers."

"The big question, of course, was where to go," she continues. "Colleagues suggested Barcelona, Rome or Paris, so I said, 'Why not ask the pupils and parents themselves?'" The poll in the Luzac app left little doubt. A full 80 percent of respondents voted for Rome, the 'Eternal City' with its seven hills and countless historical, cultural and religious highlights. A city traditionally visited by classical pupils because it brings so much of what they have learned to life.

Far away

Still, the real reasons behind the choice were more down to earth. "Most of them had already been to Paris, and Rome just felt a bit further away. Flying adds something extra," explains Heistein, as the school concierge brings her a toasted sandwich for lunch. "Anyway, the interest was overwhelming. We expected about sixty participants – after all, the trip is not officially part of the curriculum – and in the end, we had seventy-two."

This meant quite a bit of organising for the team and the headteacher. "Thankfully we had already secured half a plane’s worth of seats through a travel agency, but then there was the itinerary... Of course we wanted it to have an educational element, and highlights like the Colosseum, St Peter’s Basilica and the Roman Forum were a must. Because the group was so large, we created a mostly cultural menu from which pupils could choose."

Pizza workshop

There was also time for fun. "We regularly built in free time for pupils to go for lunch or shopping on their own," says the headteacher. She laughs. "And one evening we did a group pizza-making workshop. It was hilarious and a huge success. The boat tour was less impressive. It rained and we could hardly see a thing. Oh well, that is part of the experience too."

One part of the trip stood out in particular for Heistein. "During preparations, I discovered that on our final night there would be a match between AS Roma and Inter Milan. A top match, and in such a football-mad city! We could not pass that up. A pupil came to me about it shortly after and said he and a few others might like to go. I said, ‘You know what? If we go, we all go. I will try to sort it out. Just keep it a secret for now."

Considerably more stressed and somewhat out of pocket, the headteacher announced the surprise activity during the information evening. "The place went wild, especially the boys," Heistein recalls. "Though the girls told me afterwards they had just as much fun. What an experience, standing among all those passionate Italians in a packed stadium. It really was the cherry on top."

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Growth

Looking back, the headteacher reflects that the pupils learned more from the structure of the trip than from the cultural programme. "Look," she says seriously, "when you travel with a group that size, you cannot stay together all the time. So we gave them the freedom and responsibility to get from A to B on their own, or explore the city without supervision. You could see them grow over the days – it is a big step if you are used to travelling under the wing of Mum and Dad. Thankfully, it all went really well."

Heistein has set the tone and made it hard for her successor to top the Rome trip. "Of course we cannot go back to Rome next year, so a new destination will have to be found. That is up to the new headteacher, but I cannot imagine the city trip will disappear. People are still talking about it."

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