A gust of wind blows through the Coliseum as the students wander through the monument, their eyes wide with awe. Chills cascade down spines as thoughts of the blood-thirsty roars of ages past bellowing throughout the arena echo in their minds.

Movies reel through their minds as famous scenes come to life, set against the real backdrop. The blockbuster film Gladiator, starring Russell Crowe, gave students a small glimpse into the dramatic, gruesome events that took place in the Coliseum over 2,000 years ago.

There are currently 28 students planning to attend a June 2005 educational tour to Italy with English teacher Greg Stobbe.

“I plan to travel to Italy so that I can broaden my view of the world,” Micah Walker, ’05, said. “At the same time, I will get the opportunity to see some awesome sites. But, I am the most excited about the food.”

Another fellow attendee, Alejandra Ramirez, ’05, cannot wait to participate in another adventure of Stobbe’s journeys. She previously attended an educational trip to Switzerland in the summer of 2003.

“I am attending Stobbe’s informational trip to Europe because my mom wanted to go,” Ramirez said. “My mom and I took an Italian class at Clovis West for eight weeks over the summer as kind of prep for the trip. It was a lot of fun! Some of the places that I want to see the most are Rome, Tuscany, Venice and the famous beaches, not to mention the great shopping.”

This will be Stobbe’s 12th educational tour and it can be taken for university credit. Parents, students and alumni are encouraged to sign up.

For those interested in going, the tour company Stobbe uses, EF Tours, has extended the 2004 price through Sept. 30. However, he is still accepting applications for the trip.

Stobbe has placed his Italy tour itinerary in the Vault online. Go to www.fresnochristian.com, highlight the classrooms menu button and click on the Vault. Scroll down to Language Arts and then double-click on “sto-Italy-tour.” The itinerary will download onto the user’s desktop for viewing.

For more information, contact Stobbe at [email protected].