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What opportunities for student travel (outside of the usual field trips) did you have, or do your children or students have?
The main offering of the school I went to - in Minnesota - was a four-day trip to Washington, D.C. at the end of eighth grade. Parent / student meetings began in the fall, and a fundraiser or two was held. The total cost of the trip was about $1,300, and about half of my class or more went. It appears that it is very common for middle schools to take their new graduates to D.C.: the museums, malls, and sites were absolutely packed with other students when our school went, almost like the Valleyfair (regional amusement park) Student Day. Our flight was cancelled the last day, and shockingly, most students were distraught at the event, and some girls were even crying. I made a snarky comment when we were calling back home and was promptly reprimanded by a chaperone. I - who had never really traveled before, unlike most of my peers - was absolutely thrilled to spend another day in the big city.
The language classes (Spanish and German) also had trips. Every two or three years, the Spanish II and up students had the option of taking a trip. In Spring 2005, when I went, it was to Costa Rica; the cost was about $1,800 for two weeks, although it wasn't as inclusive as the DC trip. In 2001, it was to Spain, and in 1998, to Mexico; I haven't heard of them having one since, perhaps because of lack of interest or the poor economy. As for mine, the first informational meeting was held about a year before the trip, and we had to go to meetings before school once or twice a week for about two months prior to departure.
The German class had an exchange with a German gymnasium, which has been ongoing since 2003, when I was a junior. They would come for two weeks in the fall. About thirty German students (who did not look different than their American counterparts) speaking German amongst each other were quite a presence in a school of only about 650. Then that Spring, members of the German class would visit Germany. This went on every other year, I think, and from my sister's yearbooks, I know that it is still going on. I still can't tell who's German from who's American.
None, zip, zero. All have been completely eliminated, in the past ten years. My home state is broke, so no money for that for public schools, anymore. They completely cut even simple field trips that take a school day out of the budget. They've been operating on basically austerity measures for quite some time.
The D.C. trip, I believe, was completely funded by the students / their parents, as were the language trips.
Besides that, we had field trips, which were also paid by the parents, but I'm sure the school funded some of it, and all of it for parents who were unable to pay. They usually were within 60 miles, and often within 20 (I remember going to the Hartley Nature Center a few times and to Jay Cooke State Park), with the parents of some of the students volunteering as chaperones.
What was really fun were our end of the year trips. In 6th grade, my parochial school graduating class (12 students) went camping overnight up north; in 7th grade, I was not allowed to go on the end-of-year school trip as I was on the incomplete list too often; in 8th grade, I stayed countless Tuesdays to make up for "incompletes" and was allowed to go to Valleyfair, which was so fun. We went again in 11th grade.
Agree that DC teems with 8th graders near the end of the school year. I'm going with a class this week. Students fundraise and pay the balance, with the school offering financial aid if certain thresholds are met.
Dd is going to europe at the end of 10th grade. The trip is actually an 8th grade trip but the teacher felt bad for not taking dd's class the year dd had her so she invited them to go. The cost is about $4500 for the trip.
I have no idea what is currently offered where I live (districts are county wide).
When I was in HS, the band always went to Washington DC. French students had an opportunity to go to France.
I went to Toronto with my 8th grade Honor's English class.
I have no idea what is currently offered where I live (districts are county wide).
When I was in HS, the band always went to Washington DC. French students had an opportunity to go to France.
I went to Toronto with my 8th grade Honor's English class.
Our senior trip was to Toronto. Most of us didn't bother to go. Not much of a senior trip.
Our HS kids tend to go places with a single class and they're very curriculum centered. In middle school and in elementary they will go to Philadelphia (Liberty Bell, etc) or NYC (Ellis Island), or Harrisburg. Only the clubs or band go out of state in HS and that's usually mostly with fundraising efforts and a small kick in by the school district. I'm okay with that. We travel a lot as a family.
Our HS kids tend to go places with a single class and they're very curriculum centered. In middle school and in elementary they will go to Philadelphia (Liberty Bell, etc) or NYC (Ellis Island), or Harrisburg. Only the clubs or band go out of state in HS and that's usually mostly with fundraising efforts and a small kick in by the school district. I'm okay with that. We travel a lot as a family.
Many students, however, almost never get the opportunity to travel. Like me.
My Washington D.C. trip in 8th grade was my first trip out of Minnesota or Wisconsin (I lived near the border of the two), excepting a brief two-hour drive into the province of Ontario. I didn't get on a plane again - or really drive anywhere out of state with my family - until the school-sponsored Costa Rica trip.
Of course, there can be plenty of occasions of immorality - I remember hearing of some kids who watched a soft-porn flick on their hotel TV on Cinemax while on the D.C. trip., and some kids escaped to a bar in Costa Rica.
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