Scarlett Hafner, a fifth grader at Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy, her mother, Cassie, brother Preston, a seventh grader, and father, Mark Hafner, at the 80th parallel just north of Svalbard, Norway.
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Santorini, Greece is one of Cassie Hafner's favorite places in the world.
So she was thrilled to travel to Santorini this summer with her husband, Mark, daughter, Scarlett, who is a fifth grader at Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy, and son, Preston, a seventh grader.
Besides their travels in Greece, the Hafner family also spent time at the 80th parallel just north of Svalbard, Norway.
"We loved seeing the glaciers and ice floes, but the arctic wildlife was our favorite part of this trip," Cassie Hafner said.
But they weren't done yet.
The Hafner family also took their summer vacation as an opportunity to spend time in Rome, Italy, taking in the history of the Roman Empire.
The Hafners weren't the only ones to travel before school was back in session.
From Peru to France to South Africa to Japan, Lakewood Ranch-area families and educators visited five of the seven continents, taking in the sites and cultures of the world.
Scarlett Hafner, a fifth grader at Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy, her mother, Cassie, brother Preston, a seventh grader, and father, Mark Hafner, at the 80th parallel just north of Svalbard, Norway.
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Aarush Patel, a fourth grader at Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy, visits sites in Canada.
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Aarush Patel, a fourth grader at Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy, takes in all that La Romana has to offer in the Dominican Republic.
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Amanda Belmont, a music teacher at Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy, travels around the world at Epcot at Disney World.
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Morgan Amato, a freshman at Parrish Community High School, TJ Amato, a sixth grader at Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy, and their parents, Mike and Heather Amato, go deep sea fishing in the Florida Keys.
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Anthony Parisi, a freshman at Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy, travels the galaxy by visiting Hollywood Studios at Disney World.
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Bentley Thomas, a seventh grader at Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy, plays a round of mini golf with his brother Beau Thomas, who is a kindergartner, during their annual family vacation to Norris Lake, Tennessee.
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JJ Waldon, a fourth grader at Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy, and his sister, Brie, who is a fifth grader, visit the dinosaur exhibit at the Museum of Natural History in New York City.
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Charlotte Harrell, a third grader at Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy, climbs on a bee during her visit to the North Carolina Zoo.
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Colton Rossi, a seventh grader at Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy, meets Charles Barkley before the start of a Miami Heat finals game in June.
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Daphne Dubray, a fifth grader at Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy, zips lines in Guatemala.
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Emersyn Torres, a second grader at Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy, enjoys the beaches of Portugal with her parents, Jonathan and Caitlyn, and her brother Maverick, who is in kindergarten.
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Finley Buck, a fifth grader at Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy, shows her eagle pride during a trip to the Grand Cayman.
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Gabriel Garrison, a kindergartner at Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy, takes in the view at a black sand beach on the Big Island of Hawaii.
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Conner Steinberger, a kindergartner at Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy, hikes at Falls Creek Falls in Tennessee with his parents, David and Michelle, and his sister, Raelynn, who is a first grader.
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Liz Hawthorne, Avery Van Aken, a sophomore at Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy, and Dagny Van Aken (top row), Reagan Van Aken, a second grader, and Wesley Van Aken, a first grader, spend the day in Marquette Park in Mackinac Island, Michigan.
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Jay Belmont, a music teacher at Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy, with a Spanish mackerel in the waters off Dauphin Island, Alabama.
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Josiah Brooks, a music teacher at Gene Witt Elementary School, visits the Hiroshima Children's Peace Memorial in Japan. The memorial is dedicated to the children affected by the dropping of the Little Boy atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
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Josiah Brooks, a music teacher at Gene Witt Elementary School, feeds a wild deer at Nara Park in Japan. He says the deer roam the park and will bow to get food.
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Keegan Danahy, a sixth grader at Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy, visits the Karongwe game preserve in South Africa.
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Levi Harell, a sixth grader at Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy, enjoys a snack during a visit to the North Carolina Zoo. He spent seven weeks in North Carolina with his grandparents.
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Linh Emma Nguyen, a fifth grader, shows off her Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy pride in front of the Statue of St. John as an eagle in Barcelona.
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Matthew Robinson-Shinall and Ricardo Robinson-Shinall, who is a fine arts teacher at Braden River High, take in the beauty of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.
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Satiana Sabroso, a seventh grader at Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy, makes her way to Peru to celebrate her grandfather Arturo’s 100th birthday.
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Satiana Sabroso, a seventh grader at Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy, celebrates her grandfather Arturo’s 100th birthday with her parents, Nirvana and Ricardo, in Peru.
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Ellie Niemann and her sister, Taylor Niemann, who is a freshman at Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy, vacation in Costa Rica with friends.
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Taylor Niemann, a freshman at Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy, surfs with her dad, John Niemann, during a trip to Tamarindo, Costa Rica.
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TJ Amato, a sixth grader at Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy, and his sister Morgan Amato, a freshman at Parrish Community High School, take in a beautiful Florida Keys sunset.
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Angelina Castro and her sister Valentina Castro, who is a sixth grader at Lakewood Preparatory Academy, visit Penedo in Brazil.
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Zachary Danahy, a sixth grader at Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy, takes in the view of Cape Peninsula in South Africa.
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Desirae Dierens, fifth grader at Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy, visits Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, with her parents, Judith and Luc Dierens, and her sister, Demi Dierens, a second grader.
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Lakewood Ranch High School students Alyssa Soria and Daniel Flanigan take in the view at Palácio Nacional de Sintra in Portugal.
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Ty Dinerstein enjoys a family vacation to St. Thomas Virgin Islands with his mother, Christine, sister, Charlotte, who is a freshman at Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy, and his father, Aaron.
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Ela Demir, a kindergartner at Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy, says Hierapolis, Denizil, Turkey is amazing.
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Lakewood Ranch High School students Joen D’Haiti, Layna Truong and Tatem McCluggage visit Cabo de São Vicente, Sagres, Portugal during a trip to Spain and Portugal.
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Lakewood Ranch High School students Kyle Dorn, Jenna Lubrino, Ainsley Owens, Sydney Nolin and Tess Lippincott travel to Alhambra, Granada, Spain.
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Lakewood Ranch High School students Keith Mcsweeney and Mathew Cox visit Farol do Cabo de São Vicente, Sagres, Portugal.
Managing Editor Liz Ramos previously covered education and community for the East County Observer. Before moving to Florida, Liz was an education reporter for the Lynchburg News & Advance in Virginia for two years after graduating from the Missouri School of Journalism.
