Winsor Abroad: Two Trips of Lasting Memories
Through the Our Winsor Voice series, we asked Winsor students to share an experience that brought them joy, shaped their worldview, developed a new passion, or created a new learning environment. Paige Fenton ’26 shared her experience traveling to the Netherlands and Sisi Ansari ’28 shared her experience with Illumina in Jamaica.
The Netherlands by Paige Fenton ’26
Over Spring Break, I was part of a 10-day school trip to the Netherlands with 12 other students and chaperones Ms. Valenza and Ms. Hatcher. We explored all over the country, met many interesting people, saw beautiful art, and overall we learned a lot and had a blast! Some personal highlights include seeing Vermeer’s Girl With A Pearl Earring, visiting the Anne Frank house, exploring towns like Haarlem and Marken, and going behind-the-scenes in a traditional cheese and clog farm.
From the very first day, we learned so much about the history of the Netherlands and the people who live there. First, we learned about women-only living communities centered around gardens. One woman there even invited us into her beautiful home and showed us her garden and neighbors. We also walked the streets of Haarlem, Amsterdam, The Hague, and other cities, learning about their architecture. For example, many of the buildings in Amsterdam still have hooks on their exteriors from hoisting imports out of the canal and into the home or business.
Visiting the homes of Dutch historical figures was also incredibly educational and fascinating. We were able to step through the secret passageway of the Anne Frank house and climb the absurdly steep steps of Rembrandt’s home and studios. It was fascinating to see Rembrandt’s artwork not only in his house, but alongside other Dutch masters, like Van Gogh and Vermeer, in various museums.
We saw so many stunning works of art, by Old Masters, contemporary artists, and even locals! Each museum had a unique style and display to emphasize its collection as well as the building itself. One museum in The Hague, “Mauritshuis,” which houses Girl with a Pearl Earring, actually used to be a residence for Count Johan Maurits in the 1600’s. The palatial architecture, lavish finishes, and overall regal feel are still very present in the building today. Alternatively, the Kröller-Müller Museum mainly comprises of white walls and contemporary furniture that makes its collection really stand out. A highlight of this museum’s collection is its impressionist works — it boasts the second largest collection of Van Gogh’s works in the world! As someone who loves art and exploring museums, both the artworks we saw and their curation were very memorable.
Aside from the stunning historical sites and artworks, exploring Dutch culture was a definite highlight! We were able to see how traditional Dutch cheese and clogs are made. Also, we met some cows, goats, cats, ducks, and other adorable animals that lived throughout the country. Overall, going to the Netherlands was such an amazing experience and I’m so grateful for all the experiences our group shared.
Jamaica by Sisi Ansari ’28
Class V was my first year joining Upper School and Winsor Illumina, and participating in the Illumina Jamaica trip was by far one of the most memorable parts of my freshman year. Spring break of 2025 marked the inaugural Winsor Illumina Jamaica trip organized by our choral director, Mr. Marshall, in which we traveled to his home country to sing, explore, and immerse ourselves into the diverse Jamaican culture. With my 12 classmates, Ms. Brady, Mr. Constant, and Mr. Marshall, we spent every day trying new foods, walking through towns, and singing new styles of music. Before the trip, my classmates and I were certainly not as close with each other as we were after; we bonded through games at the dinner table, talking late at night in hotel rooms, and singing our favorite songs on bus rides!
The most memorable aspect of the trip, however, was doing a joint concert with a local all-girls high school’s Glee Club in Kingston. We sang our own repertoires, as well as jointly performing “America, the Beautiful” and a medley of Bob Marley’s “One Love,” and I will always remember the moment we sang Bob Marley’s medley and everybody in the audience got up and started dancing and singing along with us, even when we made a few mistakes. Just being able to sing in an entirely different country, in a different setting, and with a new group of people showed me how powerful music is in bridging people from all over the world; it truly was an invaluable experience.
