VENICE, Italy- The Italian 2 class at Vicenza Middle School had a chance to practice their Italian while combining a photo scavenger hunt with Carnevale in Venice Feb. 7.

"This is a fun trip, but it has to be educationa,l so the students are working on a scavenger hunt to test their Italian. They will make a PowerPoint out of their pictures when they get back to school," said Isabella Pani, Italian teacher at VMS.

The students had learned about Carnevale previously in the classroom, said Pani, so they already knew quite a bit about the typical holiday cakes, the masks and the costumes.

"I hope they really felt the spirit of Carnevale, which is typical of Venice, and when they leave Venice they think this time was not the conventional experience they might have had with their parents or friends on previous visits," said Pani.

Eighth-grader Ricardo Ortiz said it was his first time experiencing the Venice Carnevale. The highlight of the trip for him was looking at people dressed up.

"I enjoyed the old flags, and the masks were awesome," said Ortiz. "The scavenger hunt helps us look at more than the detail of the buildings, and it was nice to not have to go to school."

Shaylan Lammers, a home-schooled eight-grader along for the outing, said it was her second time at Carnevale and that the trip helped her expand her knowledge of how another culture celebrated a major festivity.

She advised other teens who plan to visit Venice during Carnevale to "be prepared for the weather and sometimes it can be very crowded, so make sure to stay with your group."

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