From Tuesday, June 12 to Tuesday, June 19, teachers plan to take students to Hawaii (the main island) for their 10th annual summer trip to a national state park. Only 25 students can go on this trip, and they will be selected anonymously after completing an application process.

Mr. Ludois, earth science teacher, will be leading the trip with chaperones Mr. Canavan, Mr. Scheldrup, Mr. Jazak, Ms. Fernandez, Mrs. Gunderson and Ms. Brodell. On previous trips, the teachers have gone to places like Yellowstone National Park and Grand Canyon National Park, making this the farthest place they have traveled so far.

Because of the location, this year’s trip is a popular one, and many students have shown interest. Since the trip was approved, 170 students have signed up for the Remind (to receive text alerts for the trip) and 35 students attended the parent meeting on Monday, Nov 27. Because the trip has a limit on the people that can attend, the teachers who are part of the trip will have to choose applicants based on their responses to questions they have asked on the application. According to Mr. Canavan, students who respond with enthusiasm and effort are more likely to be chosen.

The trip was the idea of Mr. Canavan and Mr. McCloud, who wanted to introduce students to the science of the real world. As earth science teachers, they had similar trips in college and thought those experiences were beneficial to the process of learning science and gaining a new appreciation for it.

“This is really an eye-opening science experience. When you get outside and see [the science you learn in school] happening, it changes your perspective,” Mr. Canavan said. “It can open kids’ eyes to that and shows them that you can observe things you learn in school outside of the classroom.”

The students who are going on the trip are to pay $2065, most of which is to cover the airfare for the flight to Hawaii and back. The group will be staying at an old military base for free that is open only to veterans and school groups. Also, most of the activities that are planned will be free since school groups can enter the Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park for free and most of the time will be spent hiking. The rest of the money will be going towards transportation and food on the islands.

“I thought this trip to Hawaii would be really fun. I’ve never been to Hawaii before and going there with my friends would be exciting,” said Sabrina Leon, junior. “It’s also relatively cheap for going to the island since usually hotel fares there are pretty high.”

Mr. Ludois has planned many activities in Hawaii for students to experience the nature of the island. The group has planned to hike to beaches such as the Green Sands Beach and the Black Sands beach, stargaze at night time, and hike in rainforests to see waterfalls.

“[Being the leader] involves planning the itinerary, meeting with the other teachers, getting it approved by the school board and other administrators, and doing other paperwork,” Mr. Ludois said. “This is my first time in this leadership role for the trip, usually it’s Mr. Canavan or Mr. McCloud.”

The applications are due on Monday, Dec. 4 and can be filled out on this google form.