high school excursion meaning

• The Journal
• Vol. 14, No. 1

The Educational Value of Field Trips

Jay P. Greene

Brian Kisida

Daniel H. Bowen

Jay P. Greene joined EdNext Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss the benefits of field trips, including how seeing live theater is a more enriching experience to students, on the EdNext podcast .

Crystal Bridges; Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art; School Tour © 2013 Stephen Ironside/Ironside Photography Bo Bartlett – “The Box” –  2002 • Oil on Linen • 82 x 100 – Photographer is Karen Mauch

The school field trip has a long history in American public education. For decades, students have piled into yellow buses to visit a variety of cultural institutions, including art, natural history, and science museums, as well as theaters, zoos, and historical sites. Schools gladly endured the expense and disruption of providing field trips because they saw these experiences as central to their educational mission: schools exist not only to provide economically useful skills in numeracy and literacy, but also to produce civilized young men and women who would appreciate the arts and culture. More-advantaged families may take their children to these cultural institutions outside of school hours, but less-advantaged students are less likely to have these experiences if schools do not provide them. With field trips, public schools viewed themselves as the great equalizer in terms of access to our cultural heritage.

Today, culturally enriching field trips are in decline. Museums across the country report a steep drop in school tours. For example, the Field Museum in Chicago at one time welcomed more than 300,000 students every year. Recently the number is below 200,000. Between 2002 and 2007, Cincinnati arts organizations saw a 30 percent decrease in student attendance. A survey by the American Association of School Administrators found that more than half of schools eliminated planned field trips in 2010–11.

The decision to reduce culturally enriching field trips reflects a variety of factors. Financial pressures force schools to make difficult decisions about how to allocate scarce resources, and field trips are increasingly seen as an unnecessary frill. Greater focus on raising student performance on math and reading standardized tests may also lead schools to cut field trips. Some schools believe that student time would be better spent in the classroom preparing for the exams. When schools do organize field trips, they are increasingly choosing to take students on trips to reward them for working hard to improve their test scores rather than to provide cultural enrichment. Schools take students to amusement parks, sporting events, and movie theaters instead of to museums and historical sites. This shift from “enrichment” to “reward” field trips is reflected in a generational change among teachers about the purposes of these outings. In a 2012‒13 survey we conducted of nearly 500 Arkansas teachers, those who had been teaching for at least 15 years were significantly more likely to believe that the primary purpose of a field trip is to provide a learning opportunity, while more junior teachers were more likely to see the primary purpose as “enjoyment.”

If schools are de-emphasizing culturally enriching field trips, has anything been lost as a result? Surprisingly, we have relatively little rigorous evidence about how field trips affect students. The research presented here is the first large-scale randomized-control trial designed to measure what students learn from school tours of an art museum.

We find that students learn quite a lot. In particular, enriching field trips contribute to the development of students into civilized young men and women who possess more knowledge about art, have stronger critical-thinking skills, exhibit increased historical empathy, display higher levels of tolerance, and have a greater taste for consuming art and culture.

Design of the Study and School Tours

The 2011 opening of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Northwest Arkansas created the opportunity for this study. Crystal Bridges is the first major art museum to be built in the United States in the last four decades, with more than 50,000 square feet of gallery space and an endowment in excess of $800 million. Portions of the museum’s endowment are devoted to covering all of the expenses associated with school tours. Crystal Bridges reimburses schools for the cost of buses, provides free admission and lunch, and even pays for the cost of substitute teachers to cover for teachers who accompany students on the tour.

Because the tour is completely free to schools, and because Crystal Bridges was built in an area that never previously had an art museum, there was high demand for school tours. Not all school groups could be accommodated right away. So our research team worked with the staff at Crystal Bridges to assign spots for school tours by lottery. During the first two semesters of the school tour program, the museum received 525 applications from school groups representing 38,347 students in kindergarten through grade 12. We created matched pairs among the applicant groups based on similarity in grade level and other demographic factors. An ideal and common matched pair would be adjacent grades in the same school. We then randomly ordered the matched pairs to determine scheduling prioritization. Within each pair, we randomly assigned which applicant would be in the treatment group and receive a tour that semester and which would be in the control group and have its tour deferred.

We administered surveys to 10,912 students and 489 teachers at 123 different schools three weeks, on average, after the treatment group received its tour. The student surveys included multiple items assessing knowledge about art as well as measures of critical thinking, historical empathy, tolerance, and sustained interest in visiting art museums. Some groups were surveyed as late as eight weeks after the tour, but it was not possible to collect data after longer periods because each control group was guaranteed a tour during the following semester as a reward for its cooperation. There is no indication that the results reported below faded for groups surveyed after longer periods.

We also assessed students’ critical-thinking skills by asking them to write a short essay in response to a painting that they had not previously seen. Finally, we collected a behavioral measure of interest in art consumption by providing all students with a coded coupon good for free family admission to a special exhibit at the museum to see whether the field trip increased the likelihood of students making future visits.

All results reported below are derived from regression models that control for student grade level and gender and make comparisons within each matched pair, while taking into account the fact that students in the matched pair of applicant groups are likely to be similar in ways that we are unable to observe. Standard validity tests confirmed that the survey items employed to generate the various scales used as outcomes measured the same underlying constructs.

The intervention we studied is a modest one. Students received a one-hour tour of the museum in which they typically viewed and discussed five paintings. Some students were free to roam the museum following their formal tour, but the entire experience usually involved less than half a day. Instructional materials were sent to teachers who went on a tour, but our survey of teachers suggests that these materials received relatively little attention, on average no more than an hour of total class time. The discussion of each painting during the tour was largely student-directed, with the museum educators facilitating the discourse and providing commentary beyond the names of the work and the artist and a brief description only when students requested it. This format is now the norm in school tours of art museums. The aversion to having museum educators provide information about works of art is motivated in part by progressive education theories and by a conviction among many in museum education that students retain very little factual information from their tours.

Recalling Tour Details. Our research suggests that students actually retain a great deal of factual information from their tours. Students who received a tour of the museum were able to recall details about the paintings they had seen at very high rates. For example, 88 percent of the students who saw the Eastman Johnson painting At the Camp—Spinning Yarns and Whittling knew when surveyed weeks later that the painting depicts abolitionists making maple syrup to undermine the sugar industry, which relied on slave labor. Similarly, 82 percent of those who saw Norman Rockwell’s Rosie the Riveter could recall that the painting emphasizes the importance of women entering the workforce during World War II. Among students who saw Thomas Hart Benton’s Ploughing It Under , 79 percent recollected that it is a depiction of a farmer destroying his crops as part of a Depression-era price support program. And 70 percent of the students who saw Romare Bearden’s Sacrifice could remember that it is part of the Harlem Renaissance art movement. Since there was no guarantee that these facts would be raised in student-directed discussions, and because students had no particular reason for remembering these details (there was no test or grade associated with the tours), it is impressive that they could recall historical and sociological information at such high rates.

These results suggest that art could be an important tool for effectively conveying traditional academic content, but this analysis cannot prove it. The control-group performance was hardly better than chance in identifying factual information about these paintings, but they never had the opportunity to learn the material. The high rate of recall of factual information by students who toured the museum demonstrates that the tours made an impression. The students could remember important details about what they saw and discussed.

Critical Thinking. Beyond recalling the details of their tour, did a visit to an art museum have a significant effect on students? Our study demonstrates that it did. For example, students randomly assigned to receive a school tour of Crystal Bridges later displayed demonstrably stronger ability to think critically about art than the control group.

During the first semester of the study, we showed all 3rd- through 12th-grade students a painting they had not previously seen, Bo Bartlett’s The Box . We then asked students to write short essays in response to two questions: What do you think is going on in this painting? And, what do you see that makes you think that? These are standard prompts used by museum educators to spark discussion during school tours.

We stripped the essays of all identifying information and had two coders rate the compositions using a seven-item rubric for measuring critical thinking that was developed by researchers at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. The measure is based on the number of instances that students engaged in the following in their essays: observing, interpreting, evaluating, associating, problem finding, comparing, and flexible thinking. Our measure of critical thinking is the sum of the counts of these seven items. In total, our research team blindly scored 3,811 essays. For 750 of those essays, two researchers scored them independently. The scores they assigned to the same essay were very similar, demonstrating that we were able to measure critical thinking about art with a high degree of inter-coder reliability.

We express the impact of a school tour of Crystal Bridges on critical-thinking skills in terms of standard-deviation effect sizes. Overall, we find that students assigned by lottery to a tour of the museum improve their ability to think critically about art by 9 percent of a standard deviation relative to the control group. The benefit for disadvantaged groups is considerably larger (see Figure 1). Rural students, who live in towns with fewer than 10,000 people, experience an increase in critical-thinking skills of nearly one-third of a standard deviation. Students from high-poverty schools (those where more than 50 percent of students receive free or reduced-price lunches) experience an 18 percent effect-size improvement in critical thinking about art, as do minority students.

A large amount of the gain in critical-thinking skills stems from an increase in the number of observations that students made in their essays. Students who went on a tour became more observant, noticing and describing more details in an image. Being observant and paying attention to detail is an important and highly useful skill that students learn when they study and discuss works of art. Additional research is required to determine if the gains in critical thinking when analyzing a work of art would transfer into improved critical thinking about other, non-art-related subjects.

Historical Empathy. Tours of art museums also affect students’ values. Visiting an art museum exposes students to a diversity of ideas, peoples, places, and time periods. That broadening experience imparts greater appreciation and understanding. We see the effects in significantly higher historical empathy and tolerance measures among students randomly assigned to a school tour of Crystal Bridges.

Historical empathy is the ability to understand and appreciate what life was like for people who lived in a different time and place. This is a central purpose of teaching history, as it provides students with a clearer perspective about their own time and place. To measure historical empathy, we included three statements on the survey with which students could express their level of agreement or disagreement: 1) I have a good understanding of how early Americans thought and felt; 2) I can imagine what life was like for people 100 years ago; and 3) When looking at a painting that shows people, I try to imagine what those people are thinking. We combined these items into a scale measuring historical empathy.

Students who went on a tour of Crystal Bridges experience a 6 percent of a standard deviation increase in historical empathy. Among rural students, the benefit is much larger, a 15 percent of a standard deviation gain. We can illustrate this benefit by focusing on one of the items in the historical empathy scale. When asked to agree or disagree with the statement, “I have a good understanding of how early Americans thought and felt,” 70 percent of the treatment-group students express agreement compared to 66 percent of the control group. Among rural participants, 69 percent of the treatment-group students agree with this statement compared to 62 percent of the control group. The fact that Crystal Bridges features art from different periods in American history may have helped produce these gains in historical empathy.

Tolerance. To measure tolerance we included four statements on the survey to which students could express their level of agreement or disagreement: 1) People who disagree with my point of view bother me; 2) Artists whose work is critical of America should not be allowed to have their work shown in art museums; 3) I appreciate hearing views different from my own; and 4) I think people can have different opinions about the same thing. We combined these items into a scale measuring the general effect of the tour on tolerance.

Overall, receiving a school tour of an art museum increases student tolerance by 7 percent of a standard deviation. As with critical thinking, the benefits are much larger for students in disadvantaged groups. Rural students who visited Crystal Bridges experience a 13 percent of a standard deviation improvement in tolerance. For students at high-poverty schools, the benefit is 9 percent of a standard deviation.

The improvement in tolerance for students who went on a tour of Crystal Bridges can be illustrated by the responses to one of the items within the tolerance scale. When asked about the statement, “Artists whose work is critical of America should not be allowed to have their work shown in art museums,” 35 percent of the control-group students express agreement. But for students randomly assigned to receive a school tour of the art museum, only 32 percent agree with censoring art critical of America. Among rural students, 34 percent of the control group would censor art compared to 30 percent for the treatment group. In high-poverty schools, 37 percent of the control-group students would censor compared to 32 percent of the treatment-group students. These differences are not huge, but neither is the intervention. These changes represent the realistic improvement in tolerance that results from a half-day experience at an art museum.

Interest in Art Museums. Perhaps the most important outcome of a school tour is whether it cultivates an interest among students in returning to cultural institutions in the future. If visiting a museum helps improve critical thinking, historical empathy, tolerance, and other outcomes not measured in this study, then those benefits would compound for students if they were more likely to frequent similar cultural institutions throughout their life. The direct effects of a single visit are necessarily modest and may not persist, but if school tours help students become regular museum visitors, they may enjoy a lifetime of enhanced critical thinking, tolerance, and historical empathy.

We measured how school tours of Crystal Bridges develop in students an interest in visiting art museums in two ways: with survey items and a behavioral measure. We included a series of items in the survey designed to gauge student interest:

• I plan to visit art museums when I am an adult.

• I would tell my friends they should visit an art museum.

• Trips to art museums are interesting.

• Trips to art museums are fun.

• Would your friend like to go to an art museum on a field trip?

• Would you like more museums in your community?

• How interested are you in visiting art museums?

• If your friends or family wanted to go to an art museum, how interested would you be in going?

Interest in visiting art museums among students who toured the museum is 8 percent of a standard deviation higher than that in the randomized control group. Among rural students, the increase is much larger: 22 percent of a standard deviation. Students at high-poverty schools score 11 percent of a standard deviation higher on the cultural consumer scale if they were randomly assigned to tour the museum. And minority students gain 10 percent of a standard deviation in their desire to be art consumers.

One of the eight items in the art consumer scale asked students to express the extent to which they agreed or disagreed with the statement, “I would tell my friends they should visit an art museum.” For all students who received a tour, 70 percent agree with this statement, compared to 66 percent in the control group. Among rural participants, 73 percent of the treatment-group students agree versus 63 percent of the control group. In high-poverty schools, 74 percent would recommend art museums to their friends compared to 68 percent of the control group. And among minority students, 72 percent of those who received a tour would tell their friends to visit an art museum, relative to 67 percent of the control group. Students, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, are more likely to have positive feelings about visiting museums if they receive a school tour.

We also measured whether students are more likely to visit Crystal Bridges in the future if they received a school tour. All students who participated in the study during the first semester, including those who did not receive a tour, were provided with a coupon that gave them and their families free entry to a special exhibit at Crystal Bridges. The coupons were coded so that we could determine the applicant group to which students belonged. Students had as long as six months after receipt of the coupon to use it.

We collected all redeemed coupons and were able to calculate how many adults and youths were admitted. Though students in the treatment group received 49 percent of all coupons that were distributed, 58 percent of the people admitted to the special exhibit with those coupons came from the treatment group. In other words, the families of students who received a tour were 18 percent more likely to return to the museum than we would expect if their rate of coupon use was the same as their share of distributed coupons.

This is particularly impressive given that the treatment-group students had recently visited the museum. Their desire to visit a museum might have been satiated, while the control group might have been curious to visit Crystal Bridges for the first time. Despite having recently been to the museum, students who received a school tour came back at higher rates. Receiving a school tour cultivates a taste for visiting art museums, and perhaps for sharing the experience with others.

Disadvantaged Students

One consistent pattern in our results is that the benefits of a school tour are generally much larger for students from less-advantaged backgrounds. Students from rural areas and high-poverty schools, as well as minority students, typically show gains that are two to three times larger than those of the total sample. Disadvantaged students assigned by lottery to receive a school tour of an art museum make exceptionally large gains in critical thinking, historical empathy, tolerance, and becoming art consumers.

It appears that the less prior exposure to culturally enriching experiences students have, the larger the benefit of receiving a school tour of a museum. We have some direct measures to support this explanation. To isolate the effect of the first time visiting the museum, we truncated our sample to include only control-group students who had never visited Crystal Bridges and treatment-group students who had visited for the first time during their tour. The effect for this first visit is roughly twice as large as that for the overall sample, just as it is for disadvantaged students.

In addition, we administered a different version of our survey to students in kindergarten through 2nd grade. Very young students are less likely to have had previous exposure to culturally enriching experiences. Very young students make exceptionally large improvements in the observed outcomes, just like disadvantaged students and first-time visitors.

When we examine effects for subgroups of advantaged students, we typically find much smaller or null effects. Students from large towns and low-poverty schools experience few significant gains from their school tour of an art museum. If schools do not provide culturally enriching experiences for these students, their families are likely to have the inclination and ability to provide those experiences on their own. But the families of disadvantaged students are less likely to substitute their own efforts when schools do not offer culturally enriching experiences. Disadvantaged students need their schools to take them on enriching field trips if they are likely to have these experiences at all.

Policy Implications

School field trips to cultural institutions have notable benefits. Students randomly assigned to receive a school tour of an art museum experience improvements in their knowledge of and ability to think critically about art, display stronger historical empathy, develop higher tolerance, and are more likely to visit such cultural institutions as art museums in the future. If schools cut field trips or switch to “reward” trips that visit less-enriching destinations, then these important educational opportunities are lost. It is particularly important that schools serving disadvantaged students provide culturally enriching field trip experiences.

This first-ever, large-scale, random-assignment experiment of the effects of school tours of an art museum should help inform the thinking of school administrators, educators, policymakers, and philanthropists. Policymakers should consider these results when deciding whether schools have sufficient resources and appropriate policy guidance to take their students on tours of cultural institutions. School administrators should give thought to these results when deciding whether to use their resources and time for these tours. And philanthropists should weigh these results when deciding whether to build and maintain these cultural institutions with quality educational programs. We don’t just want our children to acquire work skills from their education; we also want them to develop into civilized people who appreciate the breadth of human accomplishments. The school field trip is an important tool for meeting this goal.

Jay P. Greene is professor of education reform at the University of Arkansas, where Brian Kisida is a senior research associate and Daniel H. Bowen is a doctoral student.

Additional materials, including a supplemental study and a methodological appendix , are available.

For more, please see “ The Top 20 Education Next Articles of 2023 .”

This article appeared in the Winter 2014 issue of Education Next . Suggested citation format:

Greene, J.P., Kisida, B., and Bowen, D.H. (2014). The Educational Value of Field Trips: Taking students to an art museum improves critical thinking skills, and more . Education Next , 14(1), 78-86.

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What is field trip | definition of field trip in education.

The term “field trip” has been known for decades in many sectors and it is a common term used in worldwide schools. It seems that a field trip is a favorite part of both teachers and students who are keen on learning and discovering. So, what is a field trip in education? Scroll down to find out the field trip definition and its many types.

Educational Field Trip Definition

A field trip or excursion is a journey taken by a group of people to a place away from their usual environment. In education, field trips are defined as visits to an outside area of the normal classroom and made by a teacher and students for purposes of firsthand observation. A field trip can be expressed in many terminologies. People call educational trips or school tours in the UK and New Zealand, and school tours in the Philippines. Field trips are a popular method carried out for students to introduce to the concepts, experiences, and ideas that cannot be given in a classroom environment. School tours can be considered as short-term learning activities providing students the opportunity to observe their chosen subject outside of a classroom setting. Exploring other cultures and customs, getting to the motherland of languages, uncovering pristine nature and experiencing fascinating local life are striking demonstrations of educational school trips

Types of Field Trips

Those listed field trip ideas that help to clear field trip meaning. Efficient educational tours can spark students’ imagination, give them valuable experiences and refresh their minds after days with pencils and papers. A school tour can be themed with one type of field trip or combined by various school trip ideas.

Sightseeing Field Trip

Students are definitely eager the most to sightseeing school trips enchanting them by a myriad of appealing attractions in their wish destination. Admire well-known attractions, explore historic structures, discover World Heritage Sites, unwind on spectacular landscapes and freshen in front of scenic vista are incredible activities that gain huge interests from students and strongly inspire them.

Language and Culture Educational Field Trip

For students learning foreign languages, field trips are very important and helpful to improve the language and explore the alluring indigenous culture. Join immersive activities, stay at a local homestay, take language lessons and visit local markets enable students to practice the language, get a deeper understanding of local culture and their captivating paces of life.

Gardening and Farming Field Trip

This might be an interesting activity attracts lots of students’ attention thanks to its strangeness to their usual life. Discover specialty farms that grow the normal crop and even irregular crops will surprise curious students. Learn how vegetables are produced, explore and give a try to do traditional farming techniques of local people leaves memorable experiences for students.

Manufacturing Facility Field Trip

Students can be guided to any factory where equipment, cars, tools, packaging or any other things are made. The mechanized facilities and assembly lines are interesting for students to learn about the production process, how raw materials are utilized and how workers use them to make the final product.

Eco-adventure Field Trip

Discover the natural world is a highly important perspective in the educational sector. Students can be entertained and refreshed by trekking through untouched natural beauties to inspect local plant life and wildlife animals. This opportunity also adds to local historical factors such as early life remnants.

Business Educational Tour

Take business study trips, your students will be delighted by bustling financial and business centers. Business study trips help process business theories in the classroom into life as students explore great commercial organizations. Business field trip gives students the chance to immerse in stimulating and dynamic environments. Visit a range of famed organizations and large corporations will perfect business school trips.

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Is There a Difference Between a Field Trip and an Educational Tour?

There is nothing more exhilarating for most students than hearing the news of an upcoming school trip. It gives students a reason to get out of the classroom, and educators a way to teach and connect with their students on another level. But what kind of trip should you take your students on – a field trip or an educational tour – and is there a difference?

While it might just be an issue of semantics for some people, there is an important difference between field trips and educational tours, particularly those organized by Junior Tours .

Field trips are the typical school trips that most schools plan for their students, lasting anywhere from a few hours to 1-2 days while visiting certain learning sites.

Educational tours are professionally planned tours that have been finely crafted based on the needs of the entire group.

Essentially, an educational tour is an enhanced and upgraded version of the traditional field trip.

While the difference between a field trip and an educational tour may seem unimportant, there are many ways that a professional tour organizer such as Junior Tours can enhance the learning and overall experience of any trip, making it well worth the time and money of every student involved.

Educational Tour VS Field Trip: What’s the Difference?

We’ve all been on field trips, whether as students or educators, and we know the typical expectations that come with school trips. Typical school field trips include:

• The local museum for sciences or arts
• A visiting play or musical performance
• A local university or research center, with an expert or professional

While children always enjoy getting out of the classroom and experiencing something new, it can be difficult to truly engage with the entire group at all times. In many cases, school field trips end up with most students goofing around, not listening to the tour guide, or getting in trouble in unique ways.

And it isn’t always fair to educators to expect them to plan and execute the perfect field trip, as these skills aren’t in their everyday job description. Teaching a classroom of students and implementing a successful field trip are worlds apart.

An educational tour is like a field trip, but handled professionally and every aspect made perfect. With an educational tour planned by professional organizers, schools and teachers can focus on their roles – teaching – while the organizers focus on everything else that children want from a school trip – exciting destinations, interesting guides, awesome activities, effective planning for every step of the trip, and so much more.

Many schools do not realize how much value a professional educational tour organizer can add to a school trip, turning it from just another trip to something that will act as a key part of every school year.

Here are just a few of the places you might visit during an educational tour with Junior Tours:

• Notre Dame Basilica in Montreal
• The Plains of Abraham in Quebec City
• Concerts, performances, and music festivals in North America and Europe
• Rockefeller Center in New York City
• Niagara Falls
• Improv Chicago
• Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta
• Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London

And so many more. Whether for the sciences, business, culture, or the arts, no two educational tours are exactly alike, as each trip is planned with your group’s needs and expectations in mind.

What Can You Expect from an Educational Tour?

How exactly does a Junior Tours educational tour differentiate from a typical school field trip and what can you expect from it? A tour planned by our veteran tour organizers shares the same objectives as typical field trips, but then we do so much more:

Educational tours offer the full experience for students and educators who are looking for something more than just the average community school trip. With our tour, groups can pick their journey based on their subject interest, with popular choices of:

• Music & Band
• Foreign Language
• African American

You can see that the difference between a field trip and an educational tour can be found at the most foundational level: the purpose for the trip, and the direction you build from there. With typical field trips, most schools will pick a local area of interest and try to explain a reason for how students can benefit from visiting it.

With professionally organized educational tours, the organizer and the school will discuss and pinpoint the desired learning experience, and then curate a trip around it to maximize what the students can learn. This means that we focus on enriching a student community with education-focused events, rather than building it the other way around.

How Students and Educators Benefit from Educational Tours Over Field Trips

Students – As a student or parent who might be interested in attending one of our educational tours, you might be looking to see how you or your child will most benefit from this journey. Here’s what you can expect as a student:

Out-of-Classroom Learning: Students will see how to truly learn in context, taking their learning out of the classroom and into the real world. They will see the purpose of what they are learning, and its impact on and how it works in the world.

Social Education Habits: Students will develop social education habits that they can carry with them beyond the classroom and their high school or university lives.

Maximum Engagement: Students will enjoy a trip that is curated to maximize their engagement, excitement, and learning, teaching that learning can be fun 24/7.

Educators and Schools: As an educator or school administrator, you might be interested in the tour but don’t know if our terms are worth the additional planning over a traditional field trip. Here are ways our planning and expertise can help you:

Your Choice of Involvement: A fully planned and organized trip. It is up to the school or educator to decide how much involvement they want with the planning and organizing of the trip; if they would like Junior Tours to handle every part of the itinerary, or if they want to be involved in crafting the perfect tour. We report to you and work on your terms.

As Easy as Possible: We make it as easy as possible to help get all your students and parents on board with the tour – we offer free promotional materials such as posters, flyers, and registration forms; professionally trained tour escorts to help hype up the tour 24 hours a day; complete planning of transportation, food, and first-rate hotel stays; and optional direct billing for your parents to pay directly online. And of course, no hidden costs are involved, with free scratch card fundraiser and scholarship suggestions if necessary.

Absolute Flexibility: We offer absolute flexibility with virtually every aspect of the trip. We only require a minimum group size of 20, while larger groups are gifted cheaper pricing. Trips don’t have to be approved by school boards or affiliated with any school, and travel dates can be picked at any time of the year. Whether this is your first time or tenth time organizing a trip for students, don’t sweat it: we can help you with everything.

The Educational Tour Experience with Junior Tours

Ready to start planning an educational tour to share to your group of students? You can start today – just fill in your information on our request form and we will send you over a free itemized price quote and itinerary within 72 hours. Our required information for now includes:

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Based in New Jersey, Junior Tours has been helping schools and student groups tour around the country and the wider world since 1967, and we pride ourselves on our history and tradition as a family-run business with an impeccable reputation. Students and teachers who travel with us are guaranteed to have an amazing time – just read our reviews.

Have a question, need some tips? Contact us through our site or call us at 1-800-631-2241 (for group leaders) or 1-800-237-4797 (for students and parents) and let us know how Junior Tours can help your school or community today!

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Importance of Educational Excursion for Students

• What are educational excursions?
• Significance and importance of excursions for students

Educational excursions or tours are short trips by students, under the supervision of the school management. Students are taken to a place away from their usual routine environment.

The main aim of education is to impart knowledge. Imparting knowledge through a hands-on experience is one of the ways of making learning more interesting.

There are different methods through which schools and colleges try to deliver academic concepts. One of the most effective methods is by conducting educational tours.

Schools nowadays have made educational tours a part of their curriculum thereby making studying fascinating and engrossing.

The importance of educational excursions in schools is manifold. Here we have jotted down a comprehensive list of the benefits of school excursions. Though the list is not exhaustive, the key advantages are listed below.

Importance of Excursions for Students

1. practical knowledge is better than bookish knowledge.

According to a research article conducted and published in the US National Library of Medicine , National Institutes of Health, about 65% of students prefer visual learning aids.

These learners prefer to see how to do things rather than just talk about them. They prefer to watch demonstrations rather than sit through a lecture.

True to the famous phrase ‘seeing is believing’, your perspective changes when you see something in person.

For example, learning about a historical monument by actually visiting the site gives you a better insight than reading about it through text.

Educational excursions help students to grasp concepts through visual learning.

2. Stress Buster

Students are confined to the four walls of a classroom for most of their day. The drudgery and the monotony of the four walls can lead to a stressful learning experience .

However, educational trips organised by schools serve as a miracle stress buster. The very announcement of a school excursion gets students excited and enlivened.

Educational trips relax students who are otherwise anxious in a competitive classroom environment. It serves as a break from the normal routine of a usual day in school.

3. Builds Corporate Attitude

Educational tours build corporate attitudes amongst the students. Students taken on tours to corporate offices and industries will be exposed to the current employees in the sector.

This kind of exposure introduces them to the actions, conduct and practices of the employees.

Usually, these practices are formal and official which is a stark contrast to the informal behaviour and mannerisms of a college student.

Being exposed to the corporate attitude can give students an insight into the corporate attitude which they may have to adopt in the future.

4. Interactive Sessions

One of the main benefits of school excursions is the interactive sessions during these trips. Such field trips allow students to freely interact with friends, teachers, and others.

Educational excursions usually involve the interaction of a third person who is not a teacher or not part of the school management. This gives students a bit of liberty to interact with these new contacts.

For example, a trip to a science centre or a museum involves the interaction of students with the curator or guide of the museum.

5. Discipline

Teachers often expect the students to be on their best behaviour when on a field trip. Students follow these instructions well, as they are aware that their behaviour will reflect on their school.

So educational trips indirectly teach students discipline and control.

6. Added Information

Visiting a site often results in the transfer of new information. At times, certain data is not included in a textbook. Such omitted data can be directly gained from the excursion venue.

Further, experts can add more valuable and practical information to students during live interactive sessions.

For example, a doctor or hospital manager can explain a concept missing from the textbook during an educational trip to the local hospital.

A sales representative can elucidate details on sales invoices during an educational excursion to the supermarket.

It helps to get more exposure to any topic. Apart from textbook information, educational tours can add more exposure to any subject. It dives deeper into the topic than what is taught inside the classrooms.

7. Academic Augmentation

One of the importance of Educational excursions is the boost it gives to concepts learned in the classroom. A teacher can reinforce basic concepts by arranging an excursion to the topic related site.

For example, management students learning about human resources and employee management can be taken on an excursion to a factory or a company.

This gives students an enhanced learning experience on how resources are managed in factories and companies.

This also improves academic performance of students. A student exposed to educational tours has more practical knowledge .

Being able to transfer this practical knowledge on to paper during examinations can give you a better chance of scoring higher grades.

Students not exposed to excursions and educational tours will have only bookish knowledge and may just simply try to reproduce what the text book claims.

8. Opportunity

Educational excursions organised by schools allow students to travel to these new sites. It also provides the less fortunate students an opportunity to travel to these places without incurring much expenses.

9. Knowledge Organisation Is Better in A Naturalistic Learning Experience

Research conducted and published in the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology concluded that the organization of knowledge is crucially important for many cognitive processes.

The current study investigated whether naturalistic learning experiences can drive rapid measurable changes in children.

An investigation on the effects of a week-long zoo summer camp (compared with a control school-based camp) on the degree to which 4- to 9-year-old children’s knowledge about animals was organized.

These findings provide novel evidence that naturalistic experiences can drive rapid changes in knowledge organization.

10. More Memory Power Through Hands-On Experiences

Seeing, touching, and live experience of an academic concept enhances memory power.

According to the findings published in Psychological Science , a journal of the Association of Psychological Science, exploring objects through touch can generate detailed, durable memories for those objects.

11. Better Perspective

Travelling often involves new situations, new people, and new adventures. Some educational excursions are organised to a different state or country.

Such excursions introduce students to a whole new world. A world they might not have seen or encountered.

Therefore, field trips enhance students’ outlook and help them to gain a fresh perspective of the world around them.

12. Educational Excursions Make Students Curious

One of the benefits of excursions is that these educational trips make students curious and thirsty for more knowledge on the topic.

Students are eager to learn and see what they have learned in the classroom through textbooks.

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13. A Fun Time with Friends

Excursions are a fun-filled time with classmates and peers. Students enjoy interacting with friends outside of the school campus. It increases the bond between classmates and allows them to interact freely with each other.

14. A Unique Learning Environment

Educational excursions provide a unique and informal way of learning. It provides a break from the usual desk and chair learning method.

Excursions to open spaces like zoos and botanical gardens and parks provide a natural learning environment . Such natural surroundings provide a casual and relaxed method of studying.

15. Opens a Window of Opportunity

Another importance of excursions for students is that this exposure opens up a window of opportunity when it comes to careers and choices.

During interactive sessions on educational excursions, students talk to different people from varied fields. In classrooms, student’s knowledge of the outside world is limited. This also helps in improving the art of communication in students.

Excursions introduce students to other professions other than the ones introduced behind closed doors of a classroom.

16. Two-Step Learning Process

One of the importance of excursions in schools is that it involves a beneficial two-step process.

Step 1: It is the first step where teachers usually research on the excursion site before taking students. Teachers prepare themselves well to supplement the practical knowledge with facts, figures, and additional information on the place of visit.

Step 2: It involves the knowledge enhancement for students in terms of the feel and live experience of education. These trips contribute to better academic performances for students.

Therefore, educational excursion benefits both teachers and students, making them more adaptable to new learning methods . This in turn enhances the popularity of the school.

Including educational excursions and trips in schools has become part of the curriculum in many parts of the country.

Due to the innumerable benefits of educational excursions, the modern educational system has included excursions and trips as part of the school curriculum in many parts of the country.

Students are given a hands-on learning experience on these trips, thereby providing a holistic approach to education.

The time has now come to include educational tours and excursions in the curriculum. Modern industries today warrant the need for educational institutions to compulsorily include excursions in the syllabus.

This practical exposure encourages students to perform better and score higher grades. It provides an all round development of students which is the main aim of today’s education.

Including educational excursions in the curriculum will guarantee a holistic approach for students.

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Field Trips: Pros and Cons

Off-campus excursions can enhance learning, but they pose challenges

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Are field trips worth all the time and effort required to make them successful? Most teachers have asked themselves this question at one time or another, typically when feeling overwhelmed as they prepare for a field trip. The truth is that field trips at any grade level can cause quite a few headaches for teachers. At the same time, well-planned field trips can provide students with truly educational experiences they cannot get in the confines of the classroom. Following is a look at the pros and cons of field trips.

Benefits of Field Trips

Field trips provide students with new opportunities for learning through experience:

Different Learning Modalities

Information is presented to students in a way that meets different learning modalities. Field trips provide students with the ability to learn by doing instead of just passively listening to the information being taught in class. 

Students are exposed to new experiences that, hopefully, broaden their horizons. This can be especially helpful for students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds who may not have been exposed to these opportunities before. 

Reinforcing Concepts

Concepts that have already been learned in the classroom can be reinforced. Sometimes seeing information being taught in a new way can make a big difference in student comprehension. There is quite a difference between being taught about something like hurricanes and wind speed and experiencing them in an exhibit at a science museum. 

Shared Reference

Students are provided with shared reference points that teachers can then refer to and use in future lessons. There may be an opportunity to have two or more disciplines use a field trip as an enrichment activity. For example, a trip to an art museum (art) may couple with a timeline for social studies (political systems in place when art was created) or math (measurements) can combine with science in a biosystem (river, beach, and meadow). In this manner, several teachers can then refer to things that students saw and experienced during the field trip for the remainder of the school year. 

Increased Student-Teacher Communication

Students and teachers can see each other in a different light, helping to increase communication between them. Some students who might be overlooked in class because they are quiet might really come alive on field trips. 

If parents are involved as chaperones, they can feel more connected to the teacher and the lessons being taught. They can get to know the teacher better and understand what teachers deal with daily.

Meeting Standards

Standards in social studies and science  require students to have experiences related to concepts in the discipline. In social studies, students are required to take informed action. In science, students need to be exposed to a series of concepts to help them to better understand the world around them. Field trips help teachers meet these objectives.

Problems With Field Trips

Teachers face a number of concerns and challenges when designing field trips that they need to recognize and address before planning a field trip.

Preparation Needed

Field trips take preparation if teachers want to make them meaningful. They have to coordinate locations and transportation. They also need to create an effective lesson plan that they will follow when on the excursion.

Students will be out of the school building for a field trip, which means they will miss other classes—at least in middle and high school. If each core subject area (ELA, math science, or social studies) offers one field trip during a school year, students would be out of the building for four days. School attendance policies may count these as excused absences, but any field trip that removes students from class reduces the number of classroom hours. 

Trips Can Be Costly

Field trips can be expensive, and some students may not have the funds to attend. Organizers of the field trip may consider asking for parents to add a few dollars to help students in need. School boosters may need to host a fundraiser for students to raise money for more expensive trips.

Teachers have to organize the collection of money and the assigning of chaperones. Teachers need to spend some time creating student groups that work for all students and ensuring that chaperones are assigned accordingly. 

Teachers will likely have to deal with red tape as they plan field trips including permission slips, medical information, and emergency procedures. Schools typically require paperwork from teachers and their students. 

Potential Discipline Problems

Students will be placed in a larger environment than the classroom. New surroundings could possibly lead to additional discipline problems. Because teachers typically only lead a small group (such as 30 to 40 students), they may not be able to maintain control over the behavior of every student on the field trip, especially if the group is large. Teachers should go over rules and expectations before the field trip, enforce the rules strictly while away from school grounds, and create effective consequences for misbehavior. 

May Be Disappointing

The field trip destination might not live up to the teacher's expectations. The location might not be as interesting as the teacher thought it would be. The time to complete the field trip might be considerably less than was expected. Therefore, it is a good idea to have some contingency plan in mind just in case.

There may be students who, for one reason or another, will not attend the field trip. Teachers must leave lessons, usually enrichment offerings, that mirror some of the concepts being experienced on the field trip.

Requesting Feedback

One of the best ways to measure the success of a field trip (other than returning all students back to the school) is to ask for feedback. Teachers can post a survey for participants and for other chaperones asking them to express how they would evaluate the trip.

Opportunity to Reflect

Students should have the opportunity to reflect on the trip and write a response in a journal or essay. Requiring journal responses after the trip can solidify the information learned as students reflect on their new experiences. Asking students to write a thank you to the school principal for allowing the trip may even smooth the path to additional field trips. 

Worth the Difficulties

Many teachers feel that well-chosen field trip destinations are worth the difficulties they may create. The key is taking the time to plan each aspect as much as possible. Teachers should be proactive when thinking about and planning field trips. Students, on the other hand, may remember the experience of the school field trip as a highlight of the school year, and the time they learned more than anything taught in class.

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• Tips for Teachers Taking Students on a School Excursion

School excursions are a fun and educational way for students to learn and explore new environments outside of the classroom.

As a teacher, planning a school excursion can be a rewarding and exciting experience, but also requires careful consideration and planning to ensure a safe and successful trip. Here are some tips to help you prepare for a school excursion with your students:

• Set clear objectives: Before you start planning your excursion, it is important to consider what you want to achieve with the trip. This could include learning about a specific subject, developing social skills, or simply giving students a break from their usual routine.  
• Choose an appropriate location: Consider the age, interests, and abilities of your students when choosing a location for your excursion. You may also want to think about the distance you will be traveling, accessibility for all students, and any potential safety hazards.  
• Plan your itinerary: Once you have chosen a location, it is time to plan your itinerary. This should include arrival and departure times, as well as any activities or events that you want to include during the day. It is also important to consider meal times and any necessary breaks throughout the day.  
• Safety is a top priority: Ensure that you are aware of all safety regulations and requirements for the location you are visiting. This may include emergency procedures, first aid requirements, and any specific safety equipment that you may need. It is also important to prepare your students for the trip by discussing safety guidelines and expectations.  
• Prepare your students: Ensure that your students are prepared for the excursion by discussing what they can expect during the trip. This could include a brief overview of the activities they will be participating in, as well as any rules or expectations that you have for their behavior during the excursion.  
• Involve parents and guardians: Keep parents and guardians informed about the excursion by providing them with information about the trip, including the itinerary, safety procedures, and any necessary forms or permissions.  
• Evaluate and debrief: After the excursion, take the time to reflect on the experience and evaluate its success. This could include discussing the trip with your students and collecting their feedback, as well as considering what worked well and what could be improved for future excursions.

By following these tips, you can ensure that your school excursion is a fun and educational experience for your students. 

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What Makes a Good (and Great) Excursion?

Any teacher will tell you that excursions provide benefits that promote student learning while also allowing different styles of learning through experiences. In light of COVID-19, taking students on safe but also fun excursions may seem daunting but applying controlled approaches can mitigate risks, ensuring that students can experience learning outside the classroom. This article will discuss why excursions are beneficial for student learning, what makes a good excursion and tips for planning excursions in a COVID-19 changed world.

What Are the Benefits of Excursions?

There are many benefits to taking students on excursions. Teach Starter outlines the main student benefits of excursions as encouraging students to:

• experience natural stimuli
• broaden their worldviews
• learn from specialist educators
• experience hands-on learning
• have their curiosity stimulated.

School Activities Australia suggests similar benefits , but adds on one extra that may be even more relevant following the impacts of COVID-19:

• social skills - giving children an opportunity to interact with new people and in a new environment.

Studies suggest that there may be an academic benefit to teaching outside the classroom. Ofsted (a UK government body) conducted research into taking students on excursions and teachers found that excursions were integral to learning and raised teaching standards. Additionally, Educating Adventures and Nature Play Queensland , both organisations that work with children on outdoor excursions and natural learning, claim that students who participate in learning outside the classroom achieve higher test results.

In interviews with teachers who have experience in planning and executing excursions for young students, we discussed the idea that isolations and lockdowns have severely impacted student confidence and social situations. This theory is further supported by a study from Headspace in August 2020 where 70 per cent of participants indicated that COVID-19 had had a negative impact on their relationships with friends, 65 per cent reported a negative impact on their study situation and qualitative data revealed that young people felt that COVID-19 had impacted their confidence in achieving their goals. Combatting these newly-identified issues should be a priority in schools, and combining learning with positive, practical, out-of-class experiences could be an inclusive and effective strategy.

What Makes a ‘Good’ Excursion?

Excursions can take many forms and address several learning areas at once. The Australian Directory of School Activities, Excursions and Accommodation published an article outlining the Best School Excursions for 2022 . This included potential excursion locations in each state and territory such as:

• gravity discovery centres
• climbing centres
• walks/tours
• theme parks.

We interviewed a number of Australian teachers, and found these common themes necessary to create a ‘good’ excursion. It must:

• promote key learning outcomes and the outcomes must be identifiable
• have a clear purpose
• identify with the school ethos
• combine theory taught in the classroom, followed by a practical component
• allow for new.

Furthermore, although the above factors combined make a good excursion, to make an excursion great, it should allow for students to take calculated risks in unfamiliar places – after all, this is how true learning takes place. This includes encouraging students to engage in conversations with new people, providing students with new responsibilities, encouraging them to apply what they have learnt in the classroom in ‘real world’ situation and engaging in activities that enhance leadership skills and promoting teamwork with different groups of classmates.

The Student Travel Planning Guide’s tips for organising trips includes the idea to ask students to research the location prior to the excursion and get them to participate in a quiz or create posters to encourage many types of learning on the one topic.

The Australian Directory of School Activities, Excursions and Accommodation’s Top Tips for Successful School Excursions, Camps and Incursions outlines the following as essentials for creating empowering and enlightening excursions:

• giving context to the trip
• preparing students with an outline
• giving students ownership to ‘drive’ the excursion
• keeping students busy and engaged
• bringing learnings from the excursion back into the classroom.

One teacher who we interviewed outlined an example of these ideas in practice. The example was an excursion to local markets where students would interview stall holders and complete observations. Following their investigation, students were allowed to participate in the markets and purchase goods. This activity encouraged student ownership, allowed the students to stay focused, promoted new social interactions and combined theory with a practical learning element. The excursion would arguably have been even better if there had been prior learning about entrepreneurship and then follow up learning reflecting on the day of the excursion.

Another example can be taken from outdoor education. Students can only learn the basics and theory of abseiling in a classroom. They must go abseiling to learn how to do it and then they need to learn how to apply the skills learnt in a variety of abseiling situations. Teachers will tell you that this is true learning - when a student does not just ‘regurgitate’ what they have learned in a classroom environment, but they have applied it effectively in new and different situations.

Conducting Excursions in a COVID World

As life returns to the new normal and venues open, schools should follow guidelines to ensure that they are COVID-safe. Our previous School Governance article ‘After’ COVID-19: Safe Excursions for Schools , outlines COVID-19’s impact on excursions, why risk management is important and provides advice for when conducting an excursion.

On top of following COVID-safe plans, teachers planning excursions should have pre-excursion checklists including precautions for students with high-risk medical conditions, supervision requirements, excursion communication plans and others. Each excursion should also have its own unique risk assessment to ensure that appropriate controls have been put in place prior to the excursion commencing.

Excursions should be designed to bring teaching and learning to life. Regardless of COVID, this premise has not changed.

In the classroom students get theory and some practical applications in subjects such as information technology, science, the manual arts and catering.  Well-planned and carefully-executed excursions allow students to see their learning in real life situations and encourages them to put their theory and classroom lessons into practice. It gives the learning a sense of purpose and validity because the students can apply it in a variety of new situations. 

Now that we are once again venturing outside of our own backyards , schools need to re-engage with their students in excursions that enhance their total learning experience, while still keeping the students safe and engaged in quality learning.

About the Author

Annalise Wright

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Non Ministrari Sed Ministrare (Not to be served, but to serve)

POLICY ON SCHOOL EXCURSIONS AND OVERSEAS TOURS

1   PREAMBLE

Excursions and tours have educational value, and are considered to be important features in the school’s wider extra-curricular programme. Sports tours motivate players and stimulate improvement in our sport. Cultural tours enrich the curricular programme. Both types of tours have valuable social benefits and promote school spirit. In terms of the South African Schools Act of 1996, the governing body of a public school must determine the Tours and Excursion policy of that school.

2  CONSTITUTIONAL AND LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK

The following constitutional and legislative frameworks underpin these guidelines:

The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996;

The South African Schools Act, 1996 (Act 84 of 1996);

The Regulations on Safety Measures at Public Schools, Government Gazette No. 29376, dated 10 November 2006;

‘Guidelines For The Management Of School Excursions’, as published by the Western Cape Education Department: Directorate: Institutional Management and Governance Planning.

3   SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

For the purposes of these guidelines, school activities are classified into two categories:

Category 1 activities: parallel, but voluntary, enrichment activities;

Category 2 activities: tours, camps and excursions.

The rules, arrangements and expectations regarding excursions, or outings related to these activities, are as follows:

3.1 Category 1 activities: Co-curricular, but voluntary, enrichment activities

Schools offer a variety of co-curricular, but voluntary, activities aimed at enriching and/or extending the curriculum. These activities include, for example, attendance at a film show, a theatre production, a concert or choir, or visits to places of interest during which the knowledge gained by learners during lessons will be extended to matters beyond, though related to, the curriculum. The following procedures should apply to such activities:

 3.1.1  attendance at these activities is not compulsory, and learners who do not participate are    not academically disadvantaged as a result of their absence;

 3.1.2  the activities take place on or off the school premises, and after school hours;

 3.1.3 the school may levy a charge on those learners attending, in order to cover transport costs and entrance fees;

 3.1.4  if the activity unavoidably occurs at such time that attendance breaks into the academic programme, permission must be sought by the principal from the district director or his or her delegate, at least two weeks before the proposed activity takes place.

3.2   Category 2 activities: Tours, camps and excursions

3.2.1  These activities take place off the school premises and require participants to sleep over somewhere other than in their homes.

3.2.2  Costs will be borne by the parents of participating learners.

3.2.3  In respect of such an event, the following permissions are required:

          (a) in respect of any activity taking place outside of the borders of South Africa:

                  (i) initial provisional approval for the proposed activity must be obtained from the governing body in the form of a minuted decision of a quorate meeting of the governing body;

                   (ii) after governing body approval has been granted, the principal will approach the  Head of Department for permission to proceed;

                   (iii) such application must reach the District Director at least six (6) months before the proposed departure date;

(iv) based on the submission from the school, which will include sufficient detail (e.g. purpose of activity, full itinerary, accommodation and safety arrangements, for an informed decision to be made, the District Director will consider the application and then either reject the proposal or grant provisional permission to proceed. The District Director may require additional information if submitted information does not assist him or her to arrive at an appropriate decision;

                  (v)  the decision of the District Director must reach the principal within 30 days of the receipt thereof;  

        (vi)  if provisional permission is granted by the District Director, the school will   proceed to obtain approval from the parents of likely participants, at a formal meeting, where the proposed itinerary, programme and projected costs are clearly explained and enumerated;

         (vii) the proposal to proceed must be put to the meeting, discussed, voted upon and the decision minuted;

        (viii) if a decision to proceed is passed, the governing body must formally accept the decision of the parent meeting at a meeting of its own;                

(ix) the minutes of these two meetings must be sent to the District Director at least three (3) months before the proposed departure date, at which stage the department will either confirm or withdraw its permission to proceed.

         (b) For any activity which takes place within the borders of South Africa, but during which the participants are required to sleep over or away from their normal place of residence, the following will apply:

                  (i) the activity will be included on the school’s normal year plan or programme of activities.              

   (ii) these activities will be discussed and approved in advance by the governing body.              

  (iii) they will be submitted in writing to the district director or his or her delegate before the end of the school year preceding that in which the activities are due to take place.

                (iv)  he or she will consider the application and either grant or withhold permission for each activity, individually.                

(v)  the district director or his or her delegate will respond to the application before the start of the new school year.

3.2.6  As part of the preparations for any of the above Category 2 activities, the school will present relevant details of the activity, including costs, to the parents of likely or prospective participants, and obtain written permission from parents for their children to participate.

3.2.7  Such written permission will, where relevant, also include the details of any medical conditions, medicines, permission for accompanying adults to act in loco parentis in an emergency, contact numbers and other such details as the principal may deem necessary.

3.2.8  Where Category 2 activities within the borders of the country are added to the programme during the year, they will be formally approved by the governing body and permission will be requested from the district director or his or her delegate before the end of the school term prior to that in which the activities are to take place.3.2.9  The district director or his or her delegate will respond to the application before the start of the new term.

4   GENERAL PRINCIPLES

4.1  All school activities are organised in accordance with the relevant national and provincial legislative requirements.

4.2  A risk assessment must be conducted prior to all school excursions. This assessment must consider, among other things, the following:

4.2.1 financial affordability to learners;

4.2.2 relevance to the curriculum or subject;

4.2.3 safety, e.g. type of transport to be used, possible weather conditions and environmental risks, such as terrain, snakes, wild animals, water, etc.; 

4.2.4 health and age of educators and learners;

4.2.5 extent of supervision required and the planning thereof

4.3  Because excursions fall within the context of the definition of a school activity, the same standard of conduct that is required by the school’s code of conduct, as well as the obligation to report learner or educator misconduct or child abuse, applies equally and throughout any tour, camp or excursion, in the same manner as it would in the school context.

5   SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS

5.1  Prior to any excursion taking place, the school governing body and the parents of the learners concerned must be informed in writing in advance of

5.1.1 the full details of the planned excursion, including the destination, purpose, costs involved, date and time of departure, transportation and eating arrangements, estimated time of return, and the excursion itinerary or programme; and

5.1.2 whether the excursion will include travelling through areas where there is a risk of disease or violence.

5.2  Signed indemnity and parental consent forms, granting permission for a learner to   participate   in Category 2 activities, must be obtained from the relevant parents.

5.3  Learners should not be refused participation based on the parent’s refusal to sign an indemnity form.

 5.4  If some parents do not allow their children to participate in a school excursion which occurs during school hours, the school must arrange an alternative educational programme, which could be normal classes at school.

6   DUTIES, RESPONSIBILITIES AND EXPECTATIONS OF EDUCATORS IN CHARGE OF SCHOOL EXCURSIONS

6.1 Principals are responsible for ensuring that the necessary permission is obtained, depending on the category of activity, and must, where relevant, complete the application form contemplated in Schedule 1 to the Regulations on Safety Measures at Public Schools, published in terms of the SASA, and submit it to the official designated in these guidelines.

6.2 For excursions or tours where permission is required from the Head of Department or district director or their delegate, the following must be included with the application:

6.2.1 a written description of the arrangements to ensure that learners and staff members not going on tour, for whatever reasons, will continue with their normal school duties and activities;

6.2.2 the excursion or tour programme, with details of proposed dates, routes, places to be visited, duration of the excursion or tour and arrangements for transport and accommodation;

6.2.3 a written statement indicating the number and grade(s) of learners that will be going on the excursion or tour, and the approximate number of male and/or female supervising staff accompanying the excursion or tour party;

6.2.4 a written indication of how lost teaching time will be made up, if not completely covered by the excursion or tour programme. 

6.3 The school must make every reasonable effort to ensure the safety of learners during the excursion or tour, including, but not limited to, the following:

6.3.1 the school must ensure that the learners are under the supervision of a responsible adult at all times, taking into account the gender composition of the learner group;

6.3.2 the educator: learner ratio is at least 1 educator or parent or other adult for every 20 primary school learners, or at least 1 educator, parent or other adult for every 30 secondary school learners;

6.3.3 the principal must take all reasonable measures to ensure that those allowed to accompany and supervise learners are suitable for the task.

6.4 Should any learner be on medication while participating in the excursion or tour, the following precautions must be taken:

6.4.1 parents of such learners must report to the school, in writing, the medical condition of their child before the excursion;

6.4.2 the principal must provide the supervising educator with a report on the medical conditions of such learners;

6.4.3 sufficient quantities of medication must be provided by parents for learners who require medication during school excursions;

6.4.4 certified copies of doctors’ prescriptions for those medications must be provided by the parents of the learners concerned;

6.5 If a learner is injured or falls ill during the course of an excursion, and requires medical treatment, the supervising educator must do the following:

6.5.1 contact the parent of the learner concerned to obtain written consent for such medical treatment;

6.5.2 determine whether or not to consent to such medical treatment, if he or she is unable to contact the parent of the learner.

7   SUPERVISION OF LEARNERS DURING AN EXCURSION

     Before the planned excursion is undertaken, principals must ensure that, in addition to the requirements stated in paragraph 7 above,

7.1 reasonable precautionary measures have been taken in relation to the safety of the participating learners, educators and parents, and that the supervision will be adequate in relation to the number of learners, their maturity, anticipated behaviour and the planned activities; 

7.2 in cases of extended excursions, supervising educators and accompanying educators recognise their duty to care for the safety and welfare of learners; 

7.3 the supervising educator and accompanying educators are made aware that they retain the ultimate responsibility for supervision, care and welfare of learners and cannot transfer the responsibility to parents, volunteers or employees of external organisations, such as hotel staff or bus drivers; 

7.4 in the case of overnight or extended excursions, supervisory and accommodation arrangements are such that no educator or parent is placed in a position where there is a potential for allegations of improper conduct to be made, or where the propriety of their behaviour can be questioned;

7.5 any excursions involving swimming, water-based activities or overnight stays are accompanied by an educator who possesses some qualification or training in cardio-pulmonary resuscitation and emergency care;

7.6 where possible, that the area or place of the proposed excursion is assessed beforehand to identify potential problems or dangers, and to determine the level of supervision necessary to avoid the risk of injury; and

7.7 unscheduled alternative activities by participating learners, which were not originally part of the programme and for which parental consent would normally have beennecessary, must not be permitted.

8   TRANSPORT AND TRANSPORT FILE

Arrangements and expectations regarding the transport of learners are subject to a set of regulations of their own. The following indicates the manner in which the regulations can be effectively applied by schools in respect of excursions, tours and normal day-today transport arranged by or for the school:

8.1 Every school which transports or arranges transport for its learners will keep a transport file.

8.2 This file must be inspected and signed by the district director or his or her delegate at least once every academic year, preferably during his or her first visit to the school each year. The school may elect to invite the district director or his or her delegate to the school for this purpose.

8.3 The file will contain the following:

8.3.1 In the case of a school which has its own vehicles which are driven by staff members:        

(a) a valid roadworthy certificate for every vehicle owned or used by the school to transport learners (The certificate to be renewed annually and replaced by the newly updated document.);

       (b) a copy of a valid professional driving permit for every person who is at any time allowed to drive a school vehicle transporting passengers (This must, likewise, be renewed annually and the latest version filed.);

       (c) proof that the vehicle is appropriately insured.

 8.3.2 In the case of a school which uses an outside transport service provider to transport learners, a certificate similar to Addendum A must be completed and signed annually by every transport service provider used by the school.

 8.3.3 Whenever a vehicle is used for transporting learners, the staff member in charge of arranging the transport or driving a vehicle transporting learners will carry out a cursory inspection of the vehicle to determine whether it appears to be in sound condition and suitable for transporting the number of learners in the group. This can be done by considering matters such as the following:

          (a) the general appearance of the vehicle

          (b) whether the windscreen wipers, head-, tail- and brake lights and hand-brake are in working order (Ask for a demonstration before allowing learners to get onto or into the vehicle)

          (c) whether the brakes of the vehicle are in sound working order (A brief demonstration can be arranged on or immediately outside the school premises.)

(d) the condition of the tyres

(e) the condition of the windows

(f) the operation of the entrance and exit doors

(g) the condition of the seating in the vehicle

 8.3.4 Every vehicle must be equipped with a fire extinguisher.

 8.3.5 If the excursion is for more than one day, the transport company or the owner of the vehicle(s) must provide (a) substitute driver(s) and a transport support system en route.

8.3.6 The principal, supervising educator or member of the school governing body must liaise with the driver or owner of a bus if an accident must be reported to the police, and must report the accident him- or herself within 48 hours if the driver or the owner fails to do so. 

8.3.7 Transport companies or owners must, in addition to the above, comply with the requirements for scholar transport set out in the Regulations for the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Regulations, 2008, in particular Chapter 6, and any other notice which may, from time to time, be published in terms of such Regulations.

9    ELIGIBILITY TO PARTICIPATE

     It must be noted that participation in activities such as contemplated above is a privilege. As a consequence, the school will not allow learners to participate where any one or more of the following scenarios pertain:

9.1  being involved in any activity which leads to a withdrawal of privileges as described in Section 5.2 of the Code of Conduct and Uniform Policy; 

9.2  the school fees are not up to date or paid on a regular basis.

10   FUNDRAISING    

10.1  Where funds are raised to finance or part-finance an excursion, it is expected of all participants to be fully involved. If prospective participants in an excursion withdraw their participation subsequent to fundraising activities in which they have been involved, they are not entitled to any share of the funds raised.

10.2 If parents of prospective participants pay a deposit which the organisation needs to secure tickets, accommodation, etc., but subsequently withdraw their children, they will not be entitled to a refund.

10.3   Parents of learners who wish to raise funds on behalf of their children may do so, but only after receipt of a letter of authorisation from the school.

10.4   Educators in charge of organising excursions or trips must keep strict financial control, and must submit financial statements to the Finance Officer on a monthly basis. If no fundraising has taken place in a particular month, the Finance Officer is to be informed.

10.5  All fundraising activities must comply with all national and local laws and regulations.

Copyright © 2024 South Peninsula High School

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Tips for Japanese Culture (1) School Excursion

Travel Tips

In recent years, the purpose of school excursions has been changed from prizes of graduation to studies in historical spots. They are required to write reports. It might be toil and I’m not sure it is right or wrong.

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Asakusa, 3 hours.

Asakusa is not only a temple town but also a traditional town of common peoples's culture. in the typical tokyo shitamachi (old residential town), there is japanese broadway, interesting and unique river view and many many shops worth to visit. you can enjoy the essence of shitamachi..

Ura-Asakua, shrines, shrines, shrines.

Walking on backstreets of asakusa and you can feel the common people's life in tokyo from the city view and shrines..

Walking Tour: Tabata, Nippori, Train Fans' Sanctuary

If you like to see or shoot trains, why don't you visit tabata, nippori and nishi-nippori area of tokyo, the sanctuary of train fans there is one of the largest train bases in japan. there also ran a dozen of jr lines and bullet train lines. you can see really a lot of commercial trains, freight trains, operation trains and bullet trains with complicated connected hundreds of rails only by strolling around the facilities. a lot of spots to achieve the best shot take places. without any cost except guide fee, you can enjoy half of the day..

Walking Tour: Historical Structures in Ueno.

In ueno park, there are 5 museums and 1 concert hall. not only exhibits of them, but also their buildings themselves are worth to see. some of them have historical backgrounds and famous architects designed them. others have impressive modern view as well. we'll stroll ueno park to see their impressive outside views and walk to kyu-iwasaki-tei, historical residence of billionaire in meiji period. you will be sure to be impressed their solemn and beautiful appearances. *in the tour, visits into those museums are not included. however, if you request to visit any of those facilities, we can rearrange the itinerary. i can also check museum schedules for you., follow us on social media.

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‘So High School’ lyrics: What does the Taylor Swift song mean?

Taylor Swift said “ all is fair in love and poetry ” when releasing “The Tortured Poets Department,” and the album’s 22nd track, “So High School,” certainly leans into the love part.

While so much of “Tortured Poets” is about heartbreak, “So High School” examines that giggly, adolescent kind of romance, transporting back to feeling like you’re 16 again.

The song has several references to staples of youth, like “I’m watching ‘American Pie’ with you on a Saturday night” and “Truth, dare, spin bottles” and “Touch me while your bros play ‘Grand Theft Auto.’”

Revisit our live coverage of the release of “The Tortured Poets Department.”

She also references a common teenage game, "marry, kiss or kill," a PG-version of the more explicit, "f---, marry, kill."

While the game fits with the overall theme of the song, some Swifties immediately connected the dots between the lyric and her current beau, Travis Kelce.

After their relationship made headlines, a 2016 interview with Kelce, tied to his reality show "Catching Kelce," resurfaced.

In the video posted by AfterBuzz TV, Kelce was asked to play "kill, marry, kiss," with the first three options being Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift or Katy Perry.

After some initial hesitation, the interviewer told him, "It's just a game."

"Just a game?... Ariana is kill, unfortunately... Taylor Swift would be the kiss... Katy Perry would be the marry," he answered.

If the reference is indeed pointed at Kelce, it makes her new lyrics all the more adorable: "It’s just a game but really / I’m bettin’ on all three for us two."

Read all the lyrics to “So High School” here:

I feel so high school Every time I look at you I want to find you in a crowd Just to hide from you And in the blink of a crinklin' eye I'm sinkin', our fingers entwined Cheeks pink in the twinklin' lights Tell me 'bout the first time you saw me I'll drink what you think and I'm high from smokin' your jokes all damn night The brink of a wrinkle in time Bittersweet 16 suddenly I'm watching 'American Pie' with you on a Saturday night Your friends are around, so be quiet I'm trying to stifle my sighs 'Cause I feel so high school Every time I look at you But look at you Are you gonna marry, kiss or kill me? It's just a game but really I'm bettin' on all three for us two Get my car door, isn't that sweet Then pull me to the backseat No one's ever had me, not like you Truth, dare, spin bottles You know how to ball, I know Aristotle Brand new, full throttle Touch me while your bros play 'Grand Theft Auto' It's true, swear, scouts honor You knew what you wanted, and boy, you got her Brande new, full throttle You already know, babe I feel like laughin' In the middle of practice Do that impression you did of your dad again I'm hearin' voices like a madman And in the blink of a crinklin' eye I'm sinkin', our fingers entwined Cheeks pink in the twinklin' lights Tell me 'bout the first time you saw me I'll drink what you think and I'm high From smokin' your jokes all damn night The brink of a wrinkle in time Bittersweet 16 suddenly I'm watching 'American Pie' with you on a Saturday night Your friends are around so be quiet I'm tryin' to stifle my sighs 'Cause I feel so high school Every time I look at you But look at you Truth, dare, spin bottles You know how to ball, I know Aristotle Brand new, full throttle Touch me while your bros play 'Grand Theft Auto' It's true, swear, scouts honor You know what you wanted and boy, you got her Brand new, full throttle You already know, babe You already know, babe

More ‘Tortured Poets’ lyrics analysis

• ‘So Long, London’ lyrics meaning: Taylor Swift's song, decoded
• Taylor Swift’s ‘thanK you aIMee’ and ‘Cassandra’ lyrics: Are the songs about Kim Kardashian?
• ‘Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus’ lyrics: What does this Taylor Swift song mean — and who are these people?
• Who is Clara Bow and why did Taylor Swift name a song after her?
• 'Fortnight' lyrics meaning: What is the Taylor Swift song about?
• Which ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ songs could be about Matty Healy?
• ‘The Alchemy’ lyrics meaning: Is the Taylor Swift song about Travis Kelce?
• ‘Loml’ lyrics: What does the Taylor Swift song title mean?
• Taylor Swift’s ‘Robin’ lyrics: What does the song mean?
• Fans connect Taylor Swift’s song ‘imgonnagetyouback’ to Olivia Ro drigo’s single ‘Get Him Back!’
• Read the two special poems in Target’s edition of ‘The Tortured Poets Department’

Bryanna Cappadona is a managing editor for TODAY based in New York City, writing about books, reality TV and anything Taylor Swift.

Go Even Deeper on Taylor Swift

Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift’s Full Relationship Timeline

How their whirlwind romance took off, from podcast shoutout to Super Bowl kiss.

Taylor Swift’s 30 Things I Learned Before Turning 30

Read Swift’s candid essay for ELLE about the life lessons she learned before hitting that milestone year.

Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn’s Complete Relationship Timeline

Swift spent six years dating Alwyn. Revisit the history that Tortured Poets is expected to explore.

A Guide to Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department

Why Joe Alwyn Didn’t Talk About Dating Taylor

Read Taylor Swift’s ‘Fortnight’ Lyrics

The Unexpected Reference in Taylor's ‘Florida!!!’

Who’s Taylor Swift’s ‘Down Bad’ About?

Are Taylor’s ‘The Albatross’ Lyrics About Travis?

All the Easter Eggs in the ‘Fortnight’ Music Video

What Taylor’s ‘Cassandra’ Lyrics Mean

‘I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can),’ Explained

Taylor Explores Breakup in ‘How Did It End?’

Taylor Asks: ‘Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?’

What Taylor Swift’s ‘The Black Dog’ Is About

The rituals of commencement: What we miss when they aren’t there

3-minute read.

Remember your last few weeks of high school? Perhaps it involved a senior skip day, maybe a day steeped in tradition at your school where the whole surrounding neighborhood knew that the local seniors on their way to bigger and better things would be cutting loose and having a little bit of a fun around town, or maybe it was your last gathering of friends at your favorite late-night diner for an evening filled with some hijinks?

Whatever it was, it most likely involved a graduation day.

Most years and for most students, a college graduation is the second time in their lives that they will have the commencement experience. Just four years earlier, most students hear their name called, walk across the stage in front of friends, family members or loved ones, and feel that ritualistic sense of conclusion after four years of learning both about the subjects they have been taught and about themselves.

However, this year is different. This year’s graduating seniors did not have the opportunity to experience one of the most important rites of passage in life: their high school graduation.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought challenges and disruptions, both large and small, to all our lives. But for the class of 2020, it meant missing out on the traditional celebrations and ceremonies that mark the end of the high school journey.

No prom, no last day of class, no goodbyes to their favorite teachers — no closure to some of the most formative years of their lives. At best, they had a graduation on Zoom.

Rituals play major roles in our lives

In my position, I have the honor of witnessing the growth and transformation of our students as they voyage through their academic careers. Each year, it is my greatest privilege to stand before our graduating seniors as they prepare to embark on the next chapter of their lives — as that truly is what the meaning of a “commencement” is.

After speaking with students preparing for May’s commencement, the absence of this important high school ritual has left many of our college seniors feeling a sense of loss and longing as they prepare to leave behind the classroom and step into the unknown terrain of adulthood.

Rituals like graduation ceremonies play a crucial role in our lives. They provide structure and meaning, and they help make order in the face of change. They mark important milestones, celebrate achievements and honor traditions. Many rituals are a rite of passage into the next stage of our lives — and when we don't get to experience that rite of passage, it is easy to feel as if one stage of life just blurs into the next.

As the writer and educator Terry Tempest Williams said, “Rituals are the formulas by which harmony is restored.” In other words, they allow us the sense of completion and give us a guiding post for what comes next.

As we approach commencement, I am reminded of the resilience and strength that our graduating seniors have demonstrated throughout their challenging academic careers. Despite the setbacks and the disappointments they have faced, they have persevered with grace and determination, showing a remarkable ability to adapt and thrive in the face of adversity.

And it is important to remember just how much adversity they faced — and the toll it took on them — at a time when they should have been preparing for the excitement of what is next.

Opinion: NY must close the school meals gap for students and families in the Hudson Valley

Embrace the power of rituals

As we gather to celebrate the achievements of the Class of 2024, I encourage all graduating seniors to embrace the power of rituals in their lives. Whether it be a simple daily routine, a special ceremony or a meaningful tradition, rituals can provide a sense of comfort, stability and connection in a world that is constantly changing and evolving.

Here at Pace, we understood this profound sense of loss that many students in the Class of 2024 had when they arrived on our campus. We took steps to ensure that their mental health is cared for the same way that their education is.

For everyone who has a family member, loved one or friend who will get to hear “Pomp and Circumstance” for the first time as their name is finally called and they get to stride across a stage and shake hands, I ask that you make a point to make it special for that graduate.

And I urge all graduating seniors to reflect on the lessons they have learned from the challenging times they overcame and the resilience they have demonstrated in the face of such blurred lines.

The college Class of 2024 has shown a remarkable ability to adapt, innovate and overcome obstacles, and I have no doubt that they will continue to do so as they navigate the uncertainties that lie ahead.

Marvin Krislov is president of Pace University, with campuses in New York City and Pleasantville, New York, and a law school in White Plains, New York.

What IHSAA sectional changes will mean for Bloomington area schools

Bloomington North and South will no longer be seeing red (and white), as in Center Grove, in their battles to win a sectional in basketball, volleyball or soccer over the next two years, and both football teams will be seeing a lot more of Terre Haute.

Meanwhile, Edgewood, Owen Valley, Eastern Greene and Lighthouse Christian will also see different postseason dance partners. It's all part of the changes in sectional alignments in all those sports for next fall and winter as announced by the IHSAA on Tuesday.

Here's a rundown by sport of the major changes taking place at the sectional and regional levels over the next two years. New assignments for baseball and softball will be announced in late August.

In CLASS 5A, the addition of East Central via the success factor altered the southern sectionals. North and South have now been paired with both Terre Haute schools for Sectional 15. Columbus East and Seymour were paired up with East Central and Franklin. Castle and Evansville North remain with Floyd Central and New Albany. Anderson was moved south with Decatur Central, Plainfield and Whiteland. Lafayette Jeff and McCutcheon are now in the northern half.

In CLASS 4A, Bedford North Lawrence is part of a slightly different group that includes Charlestown, Connersville, Greenwood, Jennings County, Martinsville, Shelbyville and Silver Creek. Mooresville, Northview and Danville are now grouped with several Indianapolis schools: Brebeuf Jesuit (which scored 164 points in three sectional games last year), Crispus Attucks, Shortridge and Catholic powerhouses Roncalli and Bishop Chatard.

In CLASS 3A, Sectionals 29, 30 and 31 are some of the most spread out in the state and 32 looks to be a knock-down-drag-out with powers Mater Dei, Memorial, Gibson Southern, Heritage Hills and Southridge. Edgewood and Owen Valley are in 31 with Corydon Central, Indian Creek, Madison, North Harrison and Scottsburg. Between those schools are six sectional titles all-time, three by OV.

In CLASS 2A, widespread Sectional 39 includes Brown County, Linton, Mitchell, Greencastle, North Posey, Pike Central, South Vermillion and Sullivan. Sectional 40 includes Paoli, Brownstown, Clarksville, Crawford County, Eastern (Pekin), Salem, Switzerland County and Tell City.

And in CLASS 1A, Eastern Greene has a completely new set of competition in Sectional 47 with Edinburgh, Greenwood Christian (first year in playoffs), Knightstown, Milan, North Decatur, South Decatur and West Washington. North Decatur won a sectional title over Milan last year.

Boys and girls basketball, volleyball

Most of the assignments are the same for all three, but there are a few exceptions.

In CLASS 4A, North and South now find themselves grouped with Martinsville and both Terre Haute programs in Sectional 13. Center Grove and Mooresville were moved to Sectional 12 with Decatur Central, Franklin Central, Perry Meridian and Southport. Further south, Sectional 15 has BNL, Floyd Central, Jeffersonville, New Albany and Seymour, with Scottsburg in the boys' mix only and Providence in the volleyball mix only, both due to success factor. Columbus North and East remain with East Central, Whiteland and Franklin and it's a four-teamer in Evansville with Castle, Reitz, Harrison and North.

In CLASS 3A, Edgewood, Owen Valley and Northview are in Sectional 27 with Cascade, Indianapolis Washington and Speedway. Indian Creek is in 28 with Beech Grove, Greenwood, New Palestine, Roncalli, Rushville and Shelbyville.

In CLASS 2A, Sectional 47 has Eastern Greene, Linton, North and South Knox, Sullivan and now, West Vigo. For volleyball only, Barr-Reeve will be included. In Sectional 46, Mitchell and Paoli are joined by Clarksville, Crawford County, Eastern (Pekin), Providence (not in volleyball) and Salem.

In CLASS 1A, the lineup for the new eight-team Sectional 61 is familiar outside the addition of Cloverdale: Lighthouse Christian, Bloomfield, Clay City, Dugger Union, North Central, Shakamak and White River Valley. What's new is that it's now a part of the southern regionals in all three sports, instead of the southside of Indianapolis (Martinsville/SW Shelbyville). Sectional 62 includes Orleans, Shoals, Barr-Reeve (not in volleyball), Loogootee, Medora, North Daviess, Vincennes Rivet and Washington Catholic. Springs Valley has been moved south to 64, now with Cannelton, Evansville Christian, Northeast Dubois and Wood Memorial, with Tecumseh added only for both basketballs and Evansville Day only for boys basketball.

Boys and girls soccer

In CLASS 3A, Center Grove and Columbus North will now be duking it out yearly in Sectional 13 with Columbus East, East Central, Franklin, Shelbyville and Whiteland. For the boys, North and South and Martinsville remained paired up with the Terre Haute schools with Mooresville added in. In Sectional 15, BNL has the usual mix: Floyd Central, Jeff, Jennings County, New Albany and Seymour. For the girls, BNL will come north to join Bloomington, Terre Haute and Martinsville, while Mooresville stays up north with Avon, Ben Davis, Brownsburg, DC, Pike and Plainfield.

In CLASS 2A, Edgewood, Indian Creek and Monrovia boys are now in Sectional 27 with Brown County, Cascade and Danville and will be in an Indy area regional. Owen Valley, Northview, Sullivan and West Vigo moved to 28 with Greencastle and South Vermillion and that winner is part of the southern regional. With the Monrovia girls moving to 1A, Edgewood, Northview, Owen Valley and West Vigo will remain together in Sectional 28, joined by Cascade and Danville. Indian Creek is now paired with Beech Grove, Herrin, Roncalli and Speedway.

In CLASS 1A, the Eastern Greene boys team is now assigned to Sectional 45 with neighbors Lighthouse Christian, Bloomfield, Mitchell, Shoals and White River Valley. Greenwood Christian was moved up north. The winner is now headed to the southern regional. The Monrovia girls are in Sectional 43 with Brown County, GCA, Hauser and Triton Central.

Contact Jim Gordillo at [email protected] and follow on X @JimGordillo.

Solo se vive Una Vez En High School

Nuestras fiestas.

Razones Para Viajar Con Nosotros

¿que incluye?

Plan de actividades, llegada a la isla, jhony cay y acuario, color beach-playa rocky cay, regreso a cali, vuelta a la isla, tour de compras, pool party en el hotel, club de playa, white party en yate, history land en discoteca cocos, fireland en playa walking henry rock cay, ceremonia de grado carnival en discoteca, jorge mejia.

En la excursión de High School la pase increíble, fueron unos días llenos de muchas actividades donde se vivía una experiencia única, TODOS nos la pasamos super bien

Santiago Mosalve

Fue un parche inolvidable, la pase increíble con mis amigos… Las rumbas son de locos me las disfrute al 100. ¡Lo repetiría mil veces!

Jennifer Muñoz

Ha sido la mejor experiencia de mi vida, la pase re cool con mis amigos, nos la gozamos por completo rumba y playa ¡Lo máximo!

Ana Zambrano

Definitivamente la excursión fue la mejor experiencia que he tenido, compartí momentos únicos con mis amigos, conocí muchos lugares, e incluso hice nuevas amistades con personas de otros colegios. Si pudiera repetirlo no lo dudaría ni un segundo

No es solo una excursión, es toda una

EXPERIENCIA

¡solo se vive una vez.

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‘Mean Girls Jr.’ revives high school theater at Air Force base in Japan

Aurora Cothran, left, and Ivy Edwards rehearse for "Mean Girls Jr." at Yokota High School on Yokota Air Base, Japan, April 24, 2024. (Kelly Agee/Stars and Stripes)

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — The curtain will rise Friday on the first student musical at this airlift hub in western Tokyo in nearly a decade.

Thespians from Yokota High and Middle schools are putting on “Mean Girls Jr.,” a family-friendly version of Tina Fey’s popular Broadway musical “Mean Girls,” which is based on the 2004 movie of the same name.

The revival of performing arts at this Defense Department school may bode well for the students involved.

Typically, students who participate in such productions do better on standardized tests, according to the American Alliance for Theatre and Education, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that supports theater in education.

Those students also show better reading comprehension, maintain better attendance and stay more engaged in school, according to studies cited on the alliance’s website.

Yokota High staged a one-act play by drama students in January, but “Mean Girls Jr.” is the first performance open to any student who wanted to audition since “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” in 2015.

Students perform "Revenge Party" during a rehearsal for "Mean Girls Jr." at Yokota High School on Yokota Air Base, Japan, April 24, 2024. (Kelly Agee/Stars and Stripes)

Andrew Quinn dances during a rehearsal for "Mean Girls Jr." at Yokota High School on Yokota Air Base, Japan, April 24, 2024. (Kelly Agee/Stars and Stripes)

In the interim, Vivace, an amateur theater group at Yokota, staged several productions at the Taiyo Community Center, Greg Holladay, Far East drama director for Yokota High, said via email Wednesday.

Some Vivace productions featured only students; others included students and adults, he said. The last Vivace production, “Mary Poppins,” included children and adults and was staged in March 2020, just before the pandemic was declared.

“Mean Girls Jr.” is the story of Cacy, a teenage girl who was home-schooled in Africa before transferring to a public high school in America, and the challenges she faces in a new environment filled with cliques.

The 32-member cast uses the entire performance space, including the audience, which also has a role.

“The audience are the freshmen who are coming to the school,” Yokota Middle drama teacher Jackie Rebok said during a recent rehearsal. “It’s like they’re automatically a part of it; we break the fourth wall a lot.”

Yokota senior Ivy Edwards auditioned for the antagonist, Regina George.

“I had some really good competition, but I made it and I’m excited,” she said. “It’s going to be fun.”

Her character is cold hearted, Edwards said.

“She does not care about other people’s opinions; she is the queen bee,” Edwards said. “She runs the school, and everybody are little drones that work for her.”

Edwards isn’t new to the stage, having performed in the musicals “Hamilton,” “Fiddler on the Roof” and “The Greatest Showman” at other Department of Defense Education Activity schools.

The 60-minute “Mean Girls Jr.” takes more coordination than a one-act play, and has lots of singing and dancing, said Rebok, who solicited military spouses to help with the choreography and music.

Yokota senior Andrew Quinn is acting for the first time.

“I do a lot of musical things,” he said. “I play piano, I’m in the band and I’m in the choir. And I’ve liked to sing and dance for a long time, so I just thought it would be fun.”

“Mean Girls Jr.” opens 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Yokota High School Commons, with seating for just over 100 people. Performances are also scheduled for 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 pm. Saturday. Admission is free and seating is first come, first served.

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Damian in 'mean girls' 'memba him.

On April 30, 2004, the premiere of the high school dramedy film, "Mean Girls", would become a true global sensation. To celebrate two decades of iconic pop culture moments -- like Regina George-style cutout tanks and dressing as a mouse ("duh") for Halloween -- start Jingle Bell Rockin' your way back to the early 2000's with the legendary cast of "Mean Girls."

To kick things off, American actor Daniel Franzese was 25 years old when he played the role of Damian -- the funny North Shore High School junior and Janice Ian's loyal bestie" in the 2004 high school comedy film "Mean Girls."

Daniel was part of an ensemble cast starring Hollywood icons like Lindsay Lohan as the new kid from Africa figuring out high school antics, Cady Heron, Rachel McAdams as the blonde bombshell "plastic", Regina George and Tina Fey as the math teacher and recent divorcee, Ms. Norbury.

Other worthy mentions include Amanda Seyfried as Karen Smith, Jonathan Bennett as Aaron Samuels and Lacey Chabert as Gretchen Wieners.

"I want my pink shirt back!"

And, check out the other cast icons with our "Mean Girls" 'Memba Them Gallery !

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