From China to Canada to several other destinations around the world, students at Evanston Township High School will once again be able to travel across borders and into greater understanding of other cultures.
The District 202 Board of Education reinstated the trips for July 2023 through June 2024 at a meeting on Tuesday night.
Journeys include the Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Ontario, Canada, along with much longer history/culture trips, to places like Japan, China, France, Italy and Germany, and a science-themed trip to Belize.
The trips, for groups from 10 to 15 up to 40 students, and from several days to a couple of weeks, range in price from $800 per person to $4,500
Certainly, not all families can afford that for their youngsters.
At a previous meeting where the issue was discussed, however, Superintendent Marcus Campbell said students should “not let any barriers” stop them from going, as “we’ve always been able” to work out the costs for those who cannot afford it.
“The money goes to the trip, not to the students,” Campbell said, “so it takes away the stigma.” Scholarships will be available.
Each trip requires a variety of fundraising activities such as car washes and T-shirt sales.
A memo about the trips notes that one “is run on a ‘fair share’ model. The students selected … fundraise until all students can attend. If not enough funds are raised, the trip will be canceled.”
ETHS teachers and staff members will serve as chaperones.
Some of the journeys will be during spring break, but most will occur during the school year.
That means students have to request assignments a few weeks in advance.
And for any student who thinks maybe the teachers will cut them some slack, consider this from the desciption of several of the trips: “Students work to complete assignments on airplane and during study time at night.”
Sleep may be optional.