Summer: a time of freedom, joy, excitement, and most importantly, adventure. Benet Academy students tend to have a love of adventure, try new things, and share their Benedictine values with others. This past summer was no different, as Benet students had the opportunity to travel to various locations across the United States and the world, either on their own or with the school.

Junior Patrick Forsythe was quite the globetrotter this summer, visiting the Baltics; St. Petersburg, Russia; and Copenhagen, Denmark. Forsythe said that he especially enjoyed visiting the Tivoli Gardens in Denmark because he has learned about them in his classes at Benet. Other international travelers included juniors Marlo Virina and Juan Pinto. Virina ventured to London, Florence, Paris, and Rome to celebrate his sister’s graduation from medical school. Pinto traveled to Colombia to visit family. Finally, freshmen Timothy Pipal visited Quebec with his family; Maria Haddad traveled to Jordan to visit family, as well as to Spain and Wisconsin; Sofia Soteno journeyed to Mexico City.

Many Redwings traveled to be with family, near and far. Freshman Colin Chmielewski went to Holland, MI, while freshman Jennifer Schiliro went to North Carolina. Sophomore Danny Nadolski hiked in Salt Lake City, UT, and golfed in South Haven, MI. Junior Emil Cacayan traveled to Minnesota to visit the Mall of America.

Other students took trips that were a bit more business than pleasure, as several Benet students attended various academic camps, summer programs, and college visits hosted at such schools as Harvard and Northwestern. There, students were able to both explore the campuses and learn more about certain subjects that interested them. Senior Danny Freeman visited Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA, to learn about their engineering program. Senior Grace Christin also toured prospective schools. Her travels took her to Washington DC, Philadelphia, and New York. She also found time to vacation in Fort Lauderdale, FL, and Boulder, CO. Senior Sabrina Statkiewicz checked out colleges in Nashville, TN; Oxford, OH; and St. Louis, MO. She also interned with Bluhm in Chicago. Sophomore Danielle Rowaiye flew to Orlando, FL, for a dance competition.

Senior Anna Gard went on a mission trip this summer. She, along with a group from her church, traveled to Nicaragua. There she helped waterproof a house, visited orphanages, spent time at a home for the elderly, and distributed food to the elderly in the community. She said that the experience was made extra special for her by the fact that she was able to speak Spanish and communicate with the people she worked with.

Other places that saw a large number of Redwings congregate were sites of important events that were sponsored by the school. Such events include the Benedictine Youth Conference in Kansas, where Benet joined ten other Benedictine high schools to learn more about their shared heritage. In addition to the Benedictine Youth conference, several students participated in the service trip to Guatemala to both learn about the country’s rich culture and help construct a house for an impoverished family. Lastly, the Benet choir was able to travel to both Toronto and Ireland to showcase their many talents.

Truly, Benet Academy’s Redwings are a group of hardy adventure taking full advantage of their summer vacation to travel all over the world and country.