At Kingswood Oxford, students and teachers attempt to cross the boundaries of traditional classroom learning and study the community around them. Already, classes take day trips to make connections with class learning. For example, the We the People IMPACT class took a trip to a Connecticut courthouse to understand the process of jury selection, while the Marine Biology class took a trip to Roger Williams University to learn more about marine science during their study of sea creatures. Students in the musical and KO community also are given the opportunity to see musicals such as Parade or Ragtime on Broadway. All U.S. History students visit Sturbridge Village to see what life was like in the 1800s. There are also trips that KO runs that span a longer time period.
For example, history teacher Stacey Savin brought back the summer Italy trip for students interested in learning more about the Roman Empire. This trip last happened three years ago. History teacher Steph Sperber also started a new spring trip to Washington, D.C. for students interested in government and politics. Both trips are overnight and require payment from students who wish to attend.
The Italy trip will run from June 8 to June 17, and 18 students have signed up to attend. The group will explore monuments in Rome such as Circus Maximus and the Colosseum. After a few days in Rome, they will travel to the coastal town of Puglia. “This particular trip is going to focus a lot on the Greco-Roman seeding of Western civilization,” Ms. Savin said.
The Washington, D.C. trip will happen over spring break in March, after Team Tobati returns from their annual trip to Paraguay, so that students involved in Team Tobati are able to attend if they would like. It involves visiting many museums and visiting the U.S. Capitol, the Supreme Court, and the White House. Students will engage in further discussion and the trip is designed as a curricular connection for students in U.S. History, We the People, or AP Government. Students will also get to meet Connecticut’s representatives in Congress.
Both trips have prices pre-determined by the KO administration and the organizations that KO is partnering with. The costs for the Italy and Washington, D.C. trips are $4,225 and $2,025, respectively, for any student who wishes to attend. Students who are part of the Martin Nicholson Scholars Program may use their $1,000 stipend to cover a portion of the trip. However, no further financial support is provided for students going on the Italy trip. The school has attempted to make accommodations for students who requested financial aid on the D.C. trip. “ We make sure that anyone who has expressed interest and wants some aid has been able to get it,” Ms. Sperber said. “If we have the opportunity to visit our nation’s capital, I think that it is a valuable experience.”
The price for each trip was determined based on what it offers. The price for the Italy trip includes three meals a day, transportation to and from Italy, transportation across Italy through private bus services, admission costs to the museums and attractions listed in the itinerary, and guides.
Since KO has partnered up with the Close Up Foundation to bring students to our nation’s capital, the organization has set the price for the trip and has given us access to their resources in Washington, D.C. They provide overnight security in the hotel, access to Georgetown Pediatric Center, and the ability to network with other teenagers who have similar interests in government, politics, and collaborative decision making.
While these trips are opportunities for enrichment and visiting new countries, their financial cost must be considered when determining how accessible it is for members of the KO community. Some students help shoulder some of the costs, “I am paying for half of the cost of my Italy trip,” junior Dominic Brunalli said. “I work a summer job in a steel factory and I have saved up.”
Junior Miles Gruber is also paying half of the cost of the Italy trip. “My parents are paying half while I am paying for the rest,” Miles said. “I am using gift money and my stipend from the Martin Nicholson Scholarship.” One main reason why students choose not to engage in these activities is the cost.
There are many possible ways to make the trips cheaper, such as fundraising. Also, if more students choose to go on a trip, the overall price and the individual cost would both go down. This is difficult to achieve, though, as many trips have a limited number of students who can attend. For example, the Italy trip was limited to 18 students despite having a larger interest.
Team Tobati is a trip that offers financial aid for students who request it. They also raise money through campus events such as the KITs and WIAF, where all the proceeds are donated to Team Tobati. While that trip is service-oriented, a similar plan could be used to make other trips more accessible. In fact, when the Italy trip first started, they received a grant from the town of West Hartford which made the trip cheaper for students and families.
Students love these trips, and many return and go on different KO trips. “We have a reputation on all our trips,” Mrs. Savin said. “Many of the kids come back for more than one trip, or have heard about it through siblings.” The trips are designed to be high quality and lower-cost, allowing students to go multiple times, whilst staying safe and enjoying lots of amenities.
These trips are important tools for learning, and can be very impactful for students. “This program includes historical perspectives,” Mrs. Sperber said. “If we say that we are an institution that values student learning and hands-on learning and leadership, we need to prioritize trips like this and this. It’s a program, it’s controlled, and it gives us an opportunity to get outside of our four walled classroom.” Trips that bring students to new places and new people, while allowing them to get a more in depth view of important topics and understand deeper concepts make learning more fun and teach lessons that can carry someone through life.
These trips are designed for learning, as well as fun and community bonding. When else are you going to be able to spend a week in Italy, or D.C., or get to spend a day with friends to see a Broadway show? These trips can stick with students, teach them about new cultures, teaching history, politics, or hard work, and let students spend time with people they may not know well, creating a closer, tight knit KO community.
