Cougars Cross the Country on Winter Break

Many families at Charlotte Catholic spent their winter break traveling to both new and familiar destinations. Whether they visited family or sought a brand new experience, all students enjoyed their break from school.

Multiple students traveled out west to states such as Colorado and Wyoming. Sophomore Evan Miller visited Yellowstone National Park with his family. While he was there, he saw hundreds of bison in herds spread across the park, as well as elk and a few moose. He also had the opportunity to see a coyote up close and a few packs of wolves in the distance. Later in the trip, Evan and his family cross-country skied near Old Faithful. Evan said, “Seeing that much wildlife in such a wild place made it unforgettable.”

Sophomores Brennan Bokor and Owen Ayers each went to different areas in Colorado. Brennan visited Beaver Creek, while Owen went to Breckenridge. For three days of Brennan’s trip, he, his dad, and his brother went snowboarding. The hotel his family stayed at gave them all the gear they needed for snowboarding and had a nice gym to workout. While Owen was in Colorado, he skied, went to lots of shops, and enjoyed the new year’s celebration with his family.

A lot of students spent their break traveling to see family. Sophomore Michael Kolenik drove up to Gatlinburg, Tennessee the day after Christmas to meet up with his mom’s extended family at the big cabin house they all stayed at. While he was there, he went to a show and an aquarium with his little cousins, while also exploring the rest of Gatlinburg.

Sophomore Josh Stephens also went to visit family at Oak Island. During his visit he stayed at his grandmother’s house and played golf almost everyday. He said, “My grandma lives next to the golf course, so every time we go there she gives us a ton of free golf balls that have landed in her backyard.”

Gianna Rinaldi, another sophomore at Charlotte Catholic, flew to Australia over break to visit family she only met in person once when she was a baby. The trip was split into three flights on the way there, the longest one being 14 hours. Gianna said, “Because it was summer there, my cousins, her friends, and I were able to spend a lot of our time at the beach.” She also mentioned that because Australia is 13 hours ahead of North Carolina, she was very jet-lagged coming back, especially with school starting up again.

Ultimately, the winter break gave students and their families a chance to finally relax after the first semester of school and spend their time on a well-deserved vacation.

World map (Credit: Google Images)