Your teacher is looking for a way to connect what you are learning in the class, outside of the classroom. Do you prefer to hit the road, or stay in the classroom?

For some, field trips are great. Students get to learn outside the classroom, and they also get to miss a day of school (kind of).

“I enjoyed the Marine Science field trips. The activities we did were really relevant to what we learned in class,” said junior Nick DiMare.

Critics of classroom field trips complain that these trips cause subject groups to go on separate trips, meaning that students miss a few classes each time. When students return, they face  makeup work from other classes.

One compelling example of this conundrum is Marine Science. To go on a field trip, students weren’t only dedicating their time to the class, but also to the once a month field trips. These trips caused students to miss two of the same classes every time.

“I didn’t like the Marine Science field trips because I always missed the same two classes. One of the classes I also always missed for volleyball, so I ended up missing the same class about two times a month,” said junior Hailey Schlotthauer.

Teachers plan field trips so students aren’t always stuck in the classroom. Students in Spanish III Honors, IV, and IV Honors, missed a day of school to go to the Dali Museum.

“I think that going on a field trip to the Dali Museum is beneficial because students can learn outside of the classroom,” said Señora Dooley, Spanish teacher.

For other students who aren’t in these classes may not even go on a field trip. If you aren’t in Spanish, English, Chinese, or Marine Science then you may not have had the chance.

“I haven’t been on any field trips this year. I don’t really mind that I haven’t been on any, but I feel like if the field trip is with the right life lesson then it is beneficial,” said junior Chris Robinson.

Although everyone has a different opinion about field trips, next year with the new schedule it will be a lot easier for student to go on regular field trips.

With alternating block schedule, students won’t miss the same class each time. For Marine Science students, the impact on other classes for the once a month field trips should be diminished.  

Other teachers also see new opportunities with the new schedule.

“For my AP Lang class, we are working on setting up a partnership with Fruitville Elementary to go once a month to help fourth and fifth graders with their writing. Cyber Seniors is for Advanced Comp and part of the class is learning how to be a peer tutor. Their first tutoring experience is going to be teaching senior citizens how to use social media,” said English teacher Mrs. Betz.

Many students feel, however, that the unfortunate thing is that many students rarely go on field trips with our grade. Usually it’s mainly just with one certain class.

With the new schedule coming it could lead to more field trips for classes, or grades.