By Sophia Dorsainvil-Johnson ’16
One thing that all students collectively look forward to during the school year are field trips. As soon as a teacher announces to their class that they have a field trip coming up, the students immediately get excited. Unfortunately, because the school lacks funds, each grade is limited to about one field trip a year if even that Last year, none of the 9th graders went on any field trips. They were going to go to a museum but that field trip got cancelled because they weren’t able to fundraise enough for it.
Not only are field trips educational, but it changes up the everyday schedule of the students. Students go to school for about 6 hours everyday, 5 days a week, without any recess! We must go to school for 180 days out of the year. Altogether, that’s about 1080 hours of learning inside a building a year. Field trips are a way for students to experience a change of atmosphere. Plus, it brightens up their day
“I enjoy field trips for the most part but sometimes only half of the students in that grade gets to go while the other half doesn’t, they don’t get that experience. I think they should be more equal for the whole grade.” Sophia Madden ‘16. Students feel that the way field trips are set up can be unfair. This student is explaining how sometimes only one cluster will go on a field trip because it would depend on the teacher and the Unit they are teaching. As a result, the other cluster that has to stay behind won’t get to go and they feel it’s unfair.
Some ways to improve this is through fundraising. Fundraisers have been started but they wouldn’t be that successful. A reason could be the lack of advertising. If people were to find out about a fundraiser before hand, they will have time to find money so they can support it. Also, the items that are being sold can better capture the interests of the students. Students love food, so more bake sales and potlucks can be added to raise money.
Field trips provide other means of learning and exploration. When a new school year begins, students often say to themselves “I wonder if we will go on any field trips this year”. The reason for this is apparent; students love to go places and see new things with their teachers and friends.
Almost all students are enthusiasts when it comes to going on field trips. There is something about them that is so likable. They add excitement and brighten up their moods. We need to find ways to raise money to fund these trips. It is expensive to send over 1000 students on field trips every single year, but its not impossible. The school can use what we fundraise on rewarding students with a fun and educational trip out in the world around us.