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Mason launches district-sponsored international trips; 40 students travelled this summer
Summary
Mason City Schools on Monday described the district’s first year of district-sponsored international student trips, conducted this summer in partnership with EF Tours: 40 students in grades 7–11 across four trips to eight countries, escorted by six staff and averaging 10 days each.
Mason City Schools on Monday described the district’s first year of district-sponsored international student trips, conducted this summer in partnership with EF Tours. Administrators said 40 students in grades 7 through 11 participated across four separate trips that visited eight countries; staff said the trips averaged about 10 days.
“This was really inspired by one of our strategic priorities of developing meaningful experiences,” Dr. Brennan, a district administrator, told the Board of Education. She said the trips were offered because the district wanted to expand opportunities for “peak moments” — experiences that extend learning beyond the classroom.
Lori Howard, a district staff member who led trip planning, said staff and families were encouraged to make the trips student-centered: students chose what they wanted to see and learn. Howard told the board that many families viewed the travel as a significant sacrifice and that for some students the trip represented the first time they had flown.
Teachers and students who attended shared specific examples. Sarah Napier, a middle-school teacher, said she took seventh- and eighth-grade students to Japan and described the trips as “extraordinary” because they let students explore material already covered in class with local experts. Megan Loebring, a middle-school teacher who works with students with autism, said the trip fostered adaptability, communication and independence: one student who was initially afraid to order food by herself used Google Translate and ordered on her own by the end of the trip.
Student Chloe Smith described an immersive three-day innovation conference component of the trip that grouped students from diverse places into teams. “You got a thing where you have to create a product… and you only had three days to make the product,” she said. Her team reached the finals of a larger pitch competition and presented in front of 800 people.
Administrators outlined additional trips already planned for 2026, including leadership summits in Costa Rica, a Panama City/Costa Rica itinerary, the Galápagos (Ecuador) and an Iceland trip for English language learners. Jeff Schlager, a staff member involved with leadership travel, said he plans to lead a future summit and described the experience as part of his “legacy years” on staff.
District leaders said information sessions for families are scheduled to help prospective participants understand itineraries, costs and expectations; a public information night for interested families was announced for Thursday (6–8 p.m.) at Mason Middle School. Dr. Brennan and planning staff said registration windows close soon and families should contact district trip leaders with questions.
Board members thanked staff for initiating the program and emphasized its alignment with the district’s stated goals of growing learners and leaders. No board action was taken on the trips at Monday’s meeting; administrators said future trips will continue through district processes and family registration.
