JAY — Regional School Unit 73 board of directors approved a 24-hour humanities trip to New York City for students and staff at Spruce Mountain High School and were told it may be the last annual trip.
“This is a yearly trip that we take to New York City,” Kymberli Bryant said. “It is a 24 hour whirlwind trip from 6 a.m. to 6 a.m. It is super exciting.”
The trip includes 12 hours on a bus and 12 hours in New York City, she noted. “While in New York City, students have an opportunity to do activities that align with their own interests. Some go to museums. Some may just do some sightseeing, but we all go to see a performance on Broadway in the evening as a culminating activity.”
The group will see The Outsiders which won Best Musical last year at the Tonys, Bryant noted. “I have seen it,” she said. “It is amazing. I can’t wait for the kids to see this.”
The trip will be April 29 and 30 – a Tuesday and Wednesday, Bryant shared. “On the Wednesday that we return at 6 a.m. the understanding is that kids do not need to attend classes that day,” she noted. Some students do even though it is hard to sleep on the bus, she said.
Northeast Charter Tours in Lewiston will transport the group, Bryant indicated. “This is the third or fourth year that we’ve used them, and they have been wonderful to work with,” she stated. The price is fantastic, the service is spectacular, she noted.
In all 53 people will be going – 47 students and six teachers, Bryant said. “Those students are broken into six groups,” she noted. They can maneuver around the city way easier than everyone altogether, she explained.
Normally the trip is in May but finding a time that would work was difficult, Bryant said. This may be the last time the trip is done yearly, it may be pushed to an every other year trip, she stated. “We do not have the student excitement that we had pre-COVID,” she noted.
At first the trip was open to seniors and juniors, sophomores have been added to help fill the bus, Bryant noted. She is hoping every other year will spark interest again, although there are some students who go every year if they can.
Director Roger Moulton of Livermore Falls asked how students are selected.
“All seniors and juniors, it is presented to them in an assembly style format,” Bryant responded. “We do want to make sure that it is available to all students that want to go.”
The trip costs $190 for transportation and the Broadway ticket [a pretty reasonable price], students pay for their own food and other activities, Bryant said. There are scholarships available, and opportunities for students to raise money, she noted.
It is particularly exciting this year as a number of the students may not have been as far as Portland, Maine, have never been on a field trip, Bryant noted. “A bunch of these kids, I am so excited that they have the opportunity to go this year. I can not wait to be on this trip and see them experience what they are going to experience. They are so excited about it and they are kids that are generally not excited about school. I don’t think I’ve ever had a year when I have so many of those kids. The ones you really want and wish could go.”
A lot of them are scared, Bryant shared. “They have never been to the city and it doesn’t sound like something that they would enjoy,” she said. “This year we have a bunch that have just decided, “you know what? I am a junior this year, I’m a senior this year and I am going to make it happen.” I think it is going to be a fantastic trip.”
When asked, Bryant said 40 students are juniors and seniors, the other seven are sophomores. “We have to fill a 53-person bus in order to get the price we get,” she noted. “We could get a 35-person bus, but it costs pretty much the same amount, and then that makes the trip just that much more expensive. We try very hard to keep it under $200. We don’t want to ever go over that, so that would push it to like $230 a person.”
While a humanities trip, teachers going are from all different areas, Bryant stated. “I will tell you, it is not easy to get teachers to chaperone this trip,” she said. “They have to pay. We pay our own way, so kids are not paying for our spots. So to ask a teacher to pay their $200 or $190 which also includes tip for the bus driver and then be on a bus for 12 hours, also watch seven kids in New York for 12 hours, it’s kind of a hard sell sometimes.”
Those who do it are dedicated, wonderful people and are appreciated, Bryant added.
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