Independence High School (IHS) students are traveling throughout Northeast Ohio to discover hidden gems with the cultural expedition group.
The group, which has been around for decades, has been held on and off since 2002. Eric Magyari, IHS English teacher, has brought the expedition back for this year following pandemic shutdowns. All grade levels are welcome to join the monthly trips to sites of interest in the Cleveland area.
Magyari said students went to Little Italy in September, where one of the local business owners gave them a tour, after which the IHS group enjoyed gelato. In October, the group went to the Weathervane Playhouse in Akron to see the musical “Sweeney Todd.”
The remainder of the cultural expedition year, which runs from September through March, may include a variety of other stops like attending a “Deck the Hall” event at Stan Hywet Hall, visiting a restaurant near the West Side Market in downtown Cleveland, or touring the Cleveland Museum of Art.
“The exposure gives them pride in Northeast Ohio,” said Magyari. “Travel doesn’t have to be far, just new or interesting.”
In the past, expeditions have included visiting Hale Farm for a lantern tour and attending a cooking school, where students learned to make a dish and then eat it. “The whole notion is that education is exposure,” said Magyari. “Some places are designed to be educational and people may not take advantage of sites in their own backyard.”
Students can sign up to attend expeditions, which usually take place on a weeknight or immediately after school. Magyari said after fall sports are done for the season, he hopes to have more students involved.