Sister School Visit for Shaker School

This tour was arranged for the students Shaker High School of Latham, NY. The school has a long lasting relationship with their sister school in Moscow. Every other year the students travel to Russia to stay with their Russian fellow students and gain first-hand experience of the Russian life. While their host families were busy at work and school during the weekdays, the group attended classes at Alma Mater Gymnasium in the morning. They participated in class lectures about American culture and the English language, for example, or simply listened to the discussion, conducted in Russian, of course. After staying in the Russian families the students travel to St. Petersburg for several days to enjoy the beauty of the magnificent Venice of the North. The budget allowed only 2 nights in St. Petersburg but in this short time the students had the opportunity to learn about the history of this heroic city, visit the Hermitage, Pushkin and Petergoff, WWII and St. Petersburg siege museums.

DAY 1-7
08:55 STAYING WITH RUSSIAN FAMILIES, ATTENDING RUSSIAN PUBLIC SCHOOL

DAY 7
23:40 OVERNIGHT TRAIN TO ST. PETERSBURG

DAY 8
08:55 MEET YOUR GUIDE AT THE TRAIN STATION
09:00 CITY TOUR AND VISIT TO PETER-AND-PAUL FORTRESS
13:00 HERMITAGE TOUR
17:00 HOTEL CHECK-IN
18:00 DINNER AT THE HOTEL

DAY 9
10:00 TOUR OF PUSHKIN WITH CATHERINE PALACE AND AMBER ROOM
15:00 YUSUPOV PALACE WITH GREGORY RASPUTIN CHAMBERS
18:00 DINNER AT THE  LOCAL RESTAURANT  
20:00 RETURN TO THE HOTEL 

DAY 10
09:30 HOTEL - AIRPORT TRANSFER FOR  AY 5 AT  12:55 WITH GUIDE  

“Russian culture and language in its fullest and truest form was taught to me beyond the capability of any textbook. This new knowledge has broadened my mind, as well as my communications.” - Alina Heim, student at Shaker High School

“Living with a host family gave students the greatest understanding of Russian culture—it is an experience that cannot be rivaled by simply visiting a country and staying at a hotel.  They also gained more of an understanding about their own culture—it opened their eyes and they became more worldly.” - Sara Detmer, teacher at Shaker High School

“Traveling to Russia and staying with families gave all of us a new perspective on the world that surrounds Shaker High School. I know that I certainly look at world events and other societies in a different context than I did before traveling to Russia.” - Rich Murphy, principal of Shaker High School