STUDENT `DISCOVERS' ENGLAND AS YOUNG COLUMBUS WINNER

Takara Stanley recently spent 10 days travelling throughout England - just enough time, she says to make her want to go back again.

Stanley won an all-expense paid trip to England by scoring highest in the final three phases of the Young Columbus contest in January, sponsored by the Southeast Missourian newspaper.

"I really had a great time," said Stanley. "I met a lot of really nice people on the trip."

Stanley was one of 125 Young Columbus winners who were treated to the trip, April 13-22.

She roomed with another student from Greenfield, N.C., with whom Stanley said she became well acquainted.

"We talked about each other's high schools, the drug problem in schools, our teachers, where we're going to college - all kinds of stuff," Stanley said.

The group departed from the airport at Newark, N.J., at 7:25 p.m. on Tuesday, April 13. They arrived at Heathrow Airport outside London at 7:25 a.m. the next day.

Wasting no time, the students were whisked away by bus to William Shakespeare's birthplace of Stratford-upon-Avon. While there, Stanley saw Hall's Croft and Holy Trinity Church.

The next day, the students took a bus tour through the Cotswolds to Bath, with a quick stop at Bourton-on-the-Water. The students then went on a tour of the Roman baths and Bath Abbey.

"They kept us real busy," Stanley said. "We went to one place after another; our days were full."

The students not only toured churches and castles during their stay, but heard lectures on Elizabethan England and met with government representatives.

The chairman of Stratford-upon-Avon District Council presented a slide show to the students and display of traditional British country dancing groups.

But it wasn't all tours and seminars, Stanley said. The students lunched in parks, browsed through the shopping districts of London and strolled through Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum.

"The culture in England was more different than I thought it would be," Stanley said. "They don't talk about politics as much as we do - they stick to subjects like the weather." She added that at times, English natives would speak too quickly, making it difficult for the students to understand them.

In the final few days of the tour, the students were given a firsthand view of England's government.

They first toured Westminster Abbey and later watched the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace. Then the group met with the United States Ambassador to London, Raymond Seitz, and spoke with a panel of Embassy employees.

To round out the day, the students were treated to a dinner and dance cruise on the Thames River.

The next day, the group was introduced to Francis McWilliams, Lord Mayor of London, in the Guildhall. In the afternoon, the students were led on a tour through Windsor Castle.

The last full day in England was Stanley's favorite, she said. The group toured St. Paul's Cathedral before being set loose to shop at Harrods.

"The tour of the cathedral was my favorite part of trip," Stanley said. "It was so beautiful - words just can't describe it."

Overall, Stanley said that the "accommodations were wonderful, and the food was very British."

"Everything was your basic beef and potatoes," Stanley said. "I couldn't wait to get back and have some chicken."

Stanley said that one thing which surprised her about England was their education system.

"It's much different from ours," Stanley said. "I thought that our system would be significantly inferior to England's; it's not - in fact, I'd say that they were about the same."

As far as school back home, Stanley missed two weeks of classes for the trip.

"It was tough getting caught up on two weeks' worth of classwork, but it was worth every minute of the trip," Stanley said. She said that someday she would like to return to England for another visit.

Stanley is a senior at Cape Central High School. She will graduate at the end of this month. In the fall, Stanley plans to attend Georgetown University.

Stanley is a straight-A student at Cape Central. She plays varsity tennis, and is a member of the Future Business Leaders of America, the Cape Central Patriotic Club, the Cape Central Student Council, the yearbook staff, the writing club, Students for World Improvement and the debate team.

She was attended the Global Awareness Seminar and the World Affairs Seminar.

The Young Columbus competition was open to students in grades 7 through 12 who had a class with a Southeast Missourian Newspapers in Education teacher.

The Southeast Missourian plans to hold the contest again this year.