Nearly 15 middle schoolers from Bethel are gearing up for the adventure of a lifetime: a trip to Ecuador in spring 2026. But first, they need to send some rubber ducks down the Androscoggin.

As part of their “Galapa-go’s Ducks” fundraiser, students are selling ducks for $10 each (and $5 for each additional). At 4 p.m. on Sept. 20, the colorful flock will be released into the river, racing toward the Artist’s Covered Bridge in Newry. Prizes go to the first three ducks to cross the finish line.

The students—seventh and eighth graders from the Bethel area—plan to travel in June, just after school ends. Their goal? A cultural, educational, and eye-opening journey through Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands.

“Not a lot of our kids get the chance to experience diversity or step outside the Western Maine bubble,” said Bri Douglass, one of the trip organizers and a seventh-grade math teacher at Telstar.

Douglass knows the power of travel firsthand. Raised in Bethel in a non-traveling family, she was inspired by Telstar High School Spanish teacher, Merrie Lee Ojeda, who took her on a trip to Greece and Italy.

“It’s scary before you do it, but then it energizes you,” she said. “Since then, travel has been something I’ve loved to do.”

Douglass later lived and taught in Ecuador for eight years and is excited to share that experience. She’ll co-chaperone the trip with Lindsay Luetje, with help from fellow organizers Katy Crooker and Mary Scollins. The trip is not school-affiliated.

Many of the older students will have already started learning Spanish, Ecuador’s official language. They’ll visit Quito—where the equator literally runs through the city—and spend most of their time exploring the unique wildlife and landscapes of the Galápagos.

Their website reads: “We are a group of excited middle school students from Bethel, working together to raise funds for a transformative trip to Ecuador in spring 2026.”

https://www.mainetourism.com/event/bethels-big-yellow-duck-dash/10435/