Every year the eighth graders from the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School take a trip to Italy. It is a wonderful opportunity to expand their horizons by visiting the Duomo in Florence, the towers of San Giovanni V’al D’Arno, and the Sistine Chapel in Rome.

A lot of preparation goes into this voyage. Students learn about Italian history and take Italian language lessons. They correspond with Italian pen pals to plan their visit. And, they raise funds to help defray some of the costs involved with an international trip.

This year, Regina Stanley at the Art Cliff Diner stepped up to the plate and donated the use of her restaurant on Feb. 6. They prepared an amazing three-course meal of authentic Italian cuisine, which our students proceeded to serve to over 60 satisfied customers.

Chilmark Chocolates also pitched in this year with the generous donation of 150 boxes of chocolates for our students to sell for a Valentine’s Day fundraiser.

We are grateful to both of these businesses for their support and we are thankful to live in such a supportive community that understands the importance of global travel for our young people.

Paul Karasik
West Tisbury

Mr. Karasik is development director at the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School.