Mandatory Trips

The Orientation Trip is the most exciting first week of school students will ever experience! A tradition since the school's founding, students and faculty spend Orientation travelling through the different regions of Switzerland together. By visiting the Italian-speaking region (Locarno) and the German-speaking region (Grindelwald)—before living in the French-speaking region—students gain a sense of the interesting and diverse cultures of their new home.

When Britain declared war on Germany in 1914, it was expected that Canada, as a member of the British Empire, would be involved. Canadians of British descent supported this belief and argued that Canadians had a duty to fight on behalf of Britain. Over the 4-year period of this war, 620,000 people were mobilized, of which 67,000 were casualties with an additional 173,000 wounded. Canada’s sacrifices and contributions will forever be memorialized at Yypres, Vimy Ridge, Passchendaele, and the Somme, amongst others. Many view World War I and, in particular, the Battle of Vimy Ridge, as marking the “birth of a nation” and Canada’s independence.

Classical Civilizations Trip
On the Classical Civilizations trip to Greece and Italy, students explore Rome, Sorrento, Pompeii, Mount. Vesuvius, Capri, Amalfi Coast, Athens, to name a few destinations. Learn while experiencing the life and culture of two beautiful European countries over two weeks!
Habitat for Humanity Project
Students may elect to spend the break helping to build or renovate homes with Habitat for Humanity in a European country. Students also tour select cities and sites prior to starting and after working on the service project to learn more about the country and its people. Projects have been supported in Portugal and Hungary in recent years.
In 2004, NJC students helped lay the foundation for the 100th Habitat for Humanity home in the town of Csurgo, Hungary. Since that time, we have had one or two teams continue the tradition every year.

During the Second World War, the D-Day landings on the Normandy Beaches under the code name “Operation Neptune” began the lengthy battle of Normandy, which eventually resulted in the liberation of Paris. Canadian forces landed at Juno Beach to face heavy artillery, suffering 50 percent casualties on the first wave. By the end of D-Day, a total of 30,000 Canadians had been successfully landed, and the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division had penetrated further into France than any other Allied force.