For the first time since the summer of 2009, Cherry Hill East students who take Spanish classes will have the opportunity to travel to Spain and learn about the Hispanic culture and language.

East Spanish students who choose to participate in the exchange program will travel to Majadahonda, Spain during the summer of 2016 for two and a half weeks. Mrs. Rachel Boswell, one of the Spanish teachers organizing the trip, said, Majadahonda is a suburb of Madrid and is very similar to Cherry Hill.

“It’s literally twenty minutes outside of Madrid and it has the same economic status and people [as Cherry Hill],” said Boswell.

While in Spain, the students will stay with students from the Instituto Escuela Secundaria Carlos Bousoño, a school that specializes in English.

“We’re going to try to match up the students well; obviously, by gender, but also like interests and also even language ability if we can,” said Boswell

While the Spanish teachers do not have an itinerary planned at this point, they are formulating ideas of activities and day trips for the students and themselves. They plan to visit Madrid and possibly other cities that they previously visited on the trip in 2009 such as, Toledo, Salamanca, and Segovio. The teachers in charge of this program are also open to suggestions from the students as to where they would like to go while in Spain.

“Going on the Spanish exchange trip was definitely one of the highlights of my high school career. I made ever-lasting friendships and really learned a lot about the Spanish culture and language while I was there. Overall, I would recommend this trip to anyone taking Spanish,” said Alyxandra Soloway (’11), who went on the trip during the summer of her sophomore year.

The Spanish exchange program is a perfect opportunity for any Spanish student looking to broaden his or her ability to speak the language and further his or her education.