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Board hears student report on France/Spain trip; teacher seeks approval for Peru/Galápagos 2027 proposal
Summary
A teacher reported back after a France and Spain student trip and presented a proposal for a Peru (and Galápagos) 2027 trip. The board heard student testimony about cultural and language benefits; the teacher said she had about 30 students interested and a maximum capacity of 32 for the Peru trip.
A Hartland Consolidated Schools world‑language teacher reviewed a student trip to France and Spain and asked the board to approve a proposed Peru (and Galápagos) trip for 2027, telling board members she already had about 30 students interested.
The teacher, introduced as Mrs. Szabo, reported the recent Europe trip included Paris, Barcelona and Madrid and mixed French and Spanish students in a single itinerary. A senior traveler, Mia Eggers, told the board the trip offered ‘‘rare and valuable’’ educational exposure and praised the chaperones for planning and safety. Mrs. Szabo said the itinerary included museums, historic sites, a bullet‑train segment and smaller student‑chosen activities such as natural history museums.
On the proposed 2027 Peru/Galápagos trip, Szabo said the planned maximum student capacity is 32 and that the district’s criteria for Peru would require students to have completed three years of the language. She said she worked with EF Education First and that roughly 30 students had signed interest forms; she requested board review to finalize the approval process.
Board members asked several operational questions: whether prices change if a recruitment target is not met, how much language practice students have with locals, whether students meet peers in host countries, and whether the trip includes scientific opportunities (the teacher said she had partnered with AP biology staff for Galápagos elements). Szabo said that while European itineraries often focus on site visits, other programs (for example in Costa Rica) have included cultural exchanges; in the Galápagos she expects a Spanish‑language environment with many tourism services fluent in English.
Provenance: The trip recap began when the teacher summarized the France/Spain itinerary (transcript block starting at 3007.0852) and the student comment and Peru proposal finished when board members asked follow‑up questions about capacity, language use and science partnerships (transcript block starting at 4118.1353).
