Zylus Italiano is experiencing an epic, real-life geography and culture lesson, and his classmates are following him, albeit remotely, every step of the way.
The Cape Horn-Skye Elementary School second-grader, along with parents Heather Keller and Dave Italiano, left Washougal on February 13 for a six-month world trip. He is sharing the experience with classmates via emails, photos, FaceTime, packages, videos and reports about the places he goes.
Zylus’ parents planned ahead for their adventure, first approaching principal Mary Lou Woody a year ago, when their son was still in first grade.
“A trip of this magnitude is a once in a lifetime adventure,” Woody said. “Heather and Dave are very involved in our school and Zylus’ education, so I knew they would focus on his learning as they traveled. Zylus is learning so much about each country he travels to and when he and the class FaceTime, he shares that with classmates.”
Woody placed Zylus in teacher Heather Kassel’s class. She has served on several district technology committees and is familiar with remote study.