V©LARE O
n April 3, 1998, fifteen students and
region o f le M arche in central Italy. T h ere, they
th e ir te a c h e rs , S ig n o r a A n to n ia
attended school and later met the m ayor's assis Cansonni and Signora D aniela Della Bella,tant from in the older central area o f the city, enclosed
the Liceo Scientifico Leonardo D a Vinci in Jesi,
by ancient walls, where there were historical
Italy, arrived at Prep, where they were greeted
buildings from tim e periods as diverse as the
by m em bers o f P rep’s first Italian E xchange and
M edieval E ra, Rinascim ento, and the Rom an
their fam ilies in a reception in the H arry
E m pire. Students took total trips to the nearby
Siperstein Library.
city o f A ncona, the provincial capital, as well as
Thou gh much time in the follow ing tw o
to the caves at Frasassi and to U rbino, the town
weeks was spent in Jersey City, as all exchange
w here Rafael was born. T w o days were spent in
students attended classes at Prep the week prior
Florence, as well as a short tim e in Rom e and
to spring vacation and later had the opportunity
V enice due to lengthy travel times. However,
to m eet M ayor B ret Schundler, m ost o f the time
there was sufficient tim e to view the m ajor sights
was passed in N ew Y o rk City, w hether going to
in Rom e and to w alk across m uch o f Venice
the M etropolitan M useum o f A rt and Museum
from the P iazza di San M arco to the train station
o f M odern A rt, attending a perform ance o f the
on the opposite side, though some o f the Walk
Broadway musical “Sm okey Joe’s C afe,” visit
was through the rain.
ing such sites as the W orld T rad e C enter and
Sig. A nthony L oria organized and directed
Em pire State Building, or w alking through C en
the exchange with the aid o f M r. D e A ngelo for
tral P ark. Students also visited Ellis Island, and
the purpose o f allow ing students who are study
subsequently spent two days in W ashington,
ing Italian to have the opportunity not only to
D .C . toward the conclusion o f the two weeks.
study m ore profoundly the languange, but to
In June, m em bers o f the exchange spent two
truly understand the culture and country itself.
weeks in Jesi, a m illenia-old city, o f a population
Reflecting upon his experience, Sig. L oria stated,
not m uch sm aller than that o f Bayonne, in the
“HE stata una bella esperienza. A m iam o Italia.”
At the “Im agine M osaic” in Straw berry Fields, Sig. Loria attem pts to sing “C an’t Buy Me Love” as those surrounding him enjoy the m om ent. The m osaic honoring Jo h n Lennon was m ade in Naples, Italy.
4 2 Community
Jo e Naviello, Jo e Falcicchio, and Daniel Di/eo lead the way to the Capitol building in W ashington. Exchange members subsequently toured the Capitol and several other governm ent buildings.
Signor Anthony Loria
“E ' stata una bella esperienzai. Am iam ojtalia. ” 1 (“I t was a beautiful experience. We love Italy.")