On June 4, four Belmont Hill students—Alex Chen ’27, Declan Woolbert ’27, Adrian Chen ’28, and Samuel Leviton ’28—traveled through England, France, and Belgium on the Kenney Legacy Trip, a history-focused journey through major World War II sites led by history teachers Mr. Bracken ’15 and Mr. Pitcher. Over ten days, the group visited museums, battlefields, memorials, and other sites connected to the war. In London, the students visited the Churchill War Rooms, Imperial War Museum, and Bletchley Park, where they learned about wartime leadership, military equipment, and codebreaking. In Paris, a visit to the Memorial de la Shoah offered a stark reminder of the human cost of the war. The group also visited the Louvre, where Mr. Bracken ’15 connected works of art to themes the students had encountered in AP European History. As the trip continued into Belgium and northern France, the students walked through battlefields and examined physical remnants of combat. At Bois Jacques, the group saw the foxholes associated with the Battle of the Bulge. Mr. Bracken ’15 said that experiences like these really “make the history come to life” and give students “a real insight into what went on during those events.” Mr. Pitcher highlighted the Battle of the Bulge sites in Bastogne as a favorite part of the trip. One of the most powerful stops came at the Normandy American Cemetery. Reflecting on the sobering rows of white gravestones, Mr. Pitcher described the experience as “a lot harder to digest” than simply reading the number of Americans killed during D-Day and subsequent operations. The trip also included the Canadian memorial at Vimy Ridge and a visit to Dunkirk. Altogether, the trip offered a chance to encounter history not just through textbooks, but through the landscapes, artifacts, and memorials where it unfolded. On behalf of The Panel, we give our most sincere gratitude to the Kenney family for making this trip possible!
