Eleven Olathe South students, accompanied by Stephanie French and Angel Cornejo, Spanish teachers, embarked on a trip to Spain on June 14.

“I’ve been planning this trip for almost two years,” French said.

While flying to their layover in Atlanta, the group had encountered a storm that caused them to miss the flight to Madrid.

Now stranded in the airport, the group of students now accompanied by the other students from Parkway South High School in St. Louis, are forced to find the quickest way to get all 33 students to Spain.

After a lot of stress and three separate flight plans, the students finally arrived in Spain, stoked to start their adventure in a far away land.

When the students finally arrived in Spain, they were stoked to start their adventure in a far away land.

The students spent their first three days in Spain exploring a lot of historical and cultural monuments in Madrid, the country’s capital, such as the Plaza de Royal, Museo del Prado, Palacio Real and the Plaza Mayor.

Following the first few days in Madrid, the group first traveled north to Segovia, an old city that was constructed by the ancient Romans, known mostly for its famous aqueduct that ran throughout the city.

Other cities and monuments that they visited included the cathedral in Toledo, the Alhambra in Granada, and also the Plaza de España in Sevilla.

Going to these cities worked the students down to the southern coast of Spain, where they would start the most influential week in their Spanish visit, the family stay.

“The home stay part is important to a lot of the teachers and students,” Stephanie Vences, Spanish teacher from Parkway South, said. Parkway South is the other school involved in the trip, located in St. Louis.

On the stays, the students were sent one of two places; Santa Maria and San Fernando.

While there, they got full submersion in the culture and the daily routines of their Spanish families, all while learning and practicing Spanish.

“My favorite part of the trip was living with my host family and being able to experience their day-to-day life,” Katherine Hazen, senior, said.

After a long bus ride and lots of storytelling, the students returned to Madrid for one final day.

On their last day, they visited Reina Sofia, the museum of modern art in Madrid, and had their final meal in Spain.

The group departed from Madrid early in the morning to catch a flight to Atlanta on June 28, then returned detour free to Kansas City and St. Louis.