The Washington DC trip is getting planned and registered and west 7th graders won’t stop talking about it. They are all pumped! Hanging out with their friends and just going to another state, in general, is all super fun, but have they looked at how much it will impact them? 

This trip can be very costly, rather some kids just have their parents paying for it, while others may be raising money. Thinking about this really makes you wonder about the kids that won’t be able to go on this trip because of the cost, though some kids and families can’t afford this high amount, meaning they can’t go on this school trip. About 75% of 8th graders go each year.

“So this year it’s $999, but it includes hotels for 3 nights, all transportation, all the meals, and the tickets,” says Mrs. VanEeuwen, an 8th-grade social studies teacher. “I think it’s definitely worth it. I mean you get to vacation with your friends and you get to see all the things you are learning in person, and it’s just overall a cool experience. It’s a very good way for us also, just to be able to interact with the students on a friendly note.”

In the last couple of years, we have gone on this trip, and about 75% of the students go each year. 

“I absolutely think it’s worth it. It is a spectacular deal, and we are taking a sweet bus. It has plugs and a ton of cool appliances. It’s a sweet hotel, we go to a pizzeria, we go to a food court, and we are in the nation’s capital. It is a very tiring trip, and a lot of stuff goes on during the trip. Literally everything you need including food and souvenirs!” says Mr. Smiley, West Middle Schools principal. 

“The school generally does give out scholarships, and we do have the ability to help students. We don’t give full scholarships though. The parent would pay part of it, but we would try to pay the other part that they couldn’t” says Mr. Smiley. “An example would be if the parents could pay $500 dollars, and then we would pay the rest.”

“We study American History in 8th grade, so we go to places that we study about. We will go to the Constitution Center, George Washington’s house, and more!” says Mrs. Van Eeuwen.

“The students will still have to do homework when on the DC trip as well.” says Mrs VanEeuwen