WOODBURY – Travelling the world is something that a lot of people dream of. But few people actually get to live out the dream of seeing the places that they want to. However, Nonnewaug High School Spanish teacher Karen Sandor wanted to help the students fulfill those dreams of seeing the world, and give them an experience that they would talk about and remember for the rest of their lives.
This is exactly what she did.
Sandor grew up in Europe and has visited Spain on her own on more than 20 different occasions. She knew the wonders that the country has to offer and wanted to show the language students at Nonnewaug, some of which have never been outside of the country, those things too.
For Sandor, she had the idea of going on a trip to Spain since before the COVID pandemic, two years into her Nonnewaug career.
“COVID set my plans back quite a bit”, Sandor said, elaborating on how she wanted to go on the trip earlier, but there were numerous challenges that she faced.
This delay seemed unmanageable, that is until 2024, when the Region 14 Board of Education finally approved the trip.
The trip started in Barcelona, with pit stops in Madrid, and Seville and many other big cities, along with smaller, lesser known towns that provided the students with a broad exposure to the country. Letting them not only see the big cities that visitors see on post cards, but the smaller, lesser known, mountain villages that you’d only know of if you visited. The group enjoyed a variety of activities, from visiting bull fighting rings, to going to see flamenco dances. Under Sandor’s guidance, as much was packed into each of the nine days as was possible.
“It’s important for kids to not only just learn the languages but to see the countries first-hand because it allows kids to have their own individual experiences in the countries and leads them to want to travel more,” Sandor said.
Sandor’s persistence with advocating for the Spain trip led the students that went on the trip to see new experiences and be exposed to an environment that they weren’t used to. Pushing kids out of their comfort zone and in-turn making life long memories for every student.
Gavin Sandor, a 2025 Nonnewaug graduate, and one of Sandor’s sons, shared his experience during the Spain trip, an experience that would have never been possible without his mother’s vision.
“I’d been told so much about it,” Gavin said. “It was surreal to actually see everything you hear about and experience something new.”
Gavin Sandor elaborated on how it wasn’t only the big sights and tours that made an impression on him, but also the smaller, raw, moments that he enjoyed.
“I got to play soccer while in Barcelona with some locals on the street,” Gavin remembers. “It was cool to see a whole country of people just as infatuated with the sport I am.”
All these experiences gave the students who went on the trip a greater understanding of different cultures and how other countries’ societies differ from the lives that the people of this country coin as normal.
Laila Jones, another student who went on the trip, shared how her perspective changed while in different countries.
“My perspective changed as soon as we arrived in Morocco, it made me feel grateful for my peers and the town I live in. It showed me how valuable my life is and that nothing should be taken for granted,” Jones stated.
All these changes in perspective wouldn’t have been possible without the trip, and the trip wouldn’t have been possible without none other than Sandor.
The mission for the trip that Sandor organized was for the students to see and experience the different things that the country had to offer, a mission that was a complete success through a trip that would live in the hearts and minds of every single student that went on the trip.
While students remark that Sandor’s classroom transports them to places and cultures all over the world, albeit for just a class period, it’s through Sandor’s dedication that she’s been able to expose students to the world beyond campus.
