Rachel Lim, Class IV
Photo Credit: https://publicdomainpictures.net/en/hledej.php?hleda=school+trip
As TBLS students enter already more than a month into the second semester of the school year after the major hiatus due to the pandemic, I have started to consider how many students in all grades have missed out on the opportunities to create memories with one another through the assistance of school trips and outings.
When was the last time some of us ever got on a bus and spent a school day not having to attend classes or even step foot in our classrooms? When was the last time you saw every single student of a grade in one place other than at school? I certainly haven’t experienced such things since my year as a 6th grader on my end-of-the-year trip, and I clearly remember having to acknowledge the fact that both my 7th and 8th-grade trips were being canceled due to Covid-19.
But as society seems to slowly be returning to its old ways with in-person school being permitted since September of 2021 and even masks not being required starting March 7th, the concept of taking a grade on a school trip slowly becomes plausible. As with most things, you may be having doubts and questions about how such a thing would come to life. This is only understandable as the pandemic has taken a toll on a lot of us in an infinite number of ways. But this only becomes a stronger reason for us to take back the things that we have lost due to it, and to make memories of our high school years that we will look back on fondly. So, here are a few things to be thoughtful about and the benefits of attending/planning a school trip
1. Location:
One of the first things that come to mind when going on a school trip is exactly where the school would take their students to. When deciding on this vital component, there are a plethora of places to choose from. But when deciding on a location, it's important that the area is spacious for all students, especially due to COVID and the new precautionary measures that we must follow in order to ensure everyone’s safety.
Considering safety, the area also needs to be a space where adults could keep an eye on all students at all times in case anyone gets hurt or becomes missing, as a single grade at TBLS includes hundreds of students. In order to provide some examples of places an entire grade could go to for a trip, here are the most popular answers from a questionnaire given to TBLS freshmen that asks the following: If we were to go on a trip, where would be an ideal location?
Answers: - Arcade - Amusement parks
- Sports center - Animal Farm
- Zoo/Aquarium - Musicals - Art/Pottery Class
2. Transportation:
Considering the large number of students who may sign up to attend a school trip, it's obvious that the way to the final destination needs to be addressed and handled. One of the most popular and most likely option that we have, in order to make sure the school stays together on the way there, are buses. In my past experiences, either yellow school buses have been used or coach buses were rented, especially for important occasions, as they tend to be higher in price when taking the school’s budget into account. Speaking of budgets, there are a few ways to work around issues or limitations related to money. Fundraisers are a viable option as they have already occurred in our school and can eventually sum up to a feasible amount of money to support a planned trip.
Recently at TBLS, there was a volleyball tournament in the gymnasium that all students could attend through a small fee of a dollar. This is just one example of many ways the school could raise money through options such as bake sales, school merch sales, other sports events, etc. Though most of the fun and physical activities occur at the destination of the trip, much of the talking and interesting moments occur between rows of bus seats and students.
Joanne Yee, a TBLS Class 4 discipula was interviewed about her experiences with past school trips, and she replied with a smile,“Being in a bus gave us some freedom as we got to choose who to sit with and often played games with other students to pass the time.” She recalls these moments from a bowling trip she had attended back in middle school and hopes to attend at least two trips in high school while hoping for 4 in the best case scenario.
3. Mental Benefits
As many students have made it through the first semester of the first school year back from the pandemic, it is clear that all the assignments, assessments, and the physical challenges of attending school has taken a toll on both magistri and discips alike. An anonymous discipuli stated with a long sigh of frustration,“It’s only the first semester, (and) there's another one left. I can’t do this for four more years!,” while many of her friends nodded in intense agreement.
Seeing these effects that school could continuously have on our students, a school trip would be a refreshing experience in the midst of the mundane schedule and repetitive classes students take over the course of a week. Not only is it a change of an environment for students to be in, but most of the activities are usually meant to be enjoyable and hands-on, which gives students a break from consistently having to take notes, complete worksheets, and attentively listening. Treating discips every once in a while would be beneficial on both parts as it will help them recharge for more work ahead of them while balancing things out in relation to their academic lives.
“I feel that room for fun will only last so long”, a Class II discip stated, “seeing how 2022 is going so far, my hopes are not so high but I’m praying that I can look back at high school knowing that it wasn’t only made of pencil and paper."
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