College students Europe bound
Forty-eight Upper Hutt College students will soon make their own bit of history with a self-funded trip to Europe.
Along with five teachers, the college party will be away for three weeks from April 9 and the start of the term holidays.
The Year 12 and 13 students visit includes London, Venice, Rome, Naples and Ypres (Passchendaele) and, for a change of pace, Paris Disneyland. The itinerary has been influenced by their classes in History, Drama and, for the majority of the group, Classical Studies.
While students travel to Japan every second year, the college has never organised a European tour before, Classics teacher and tour organiser Mandie Mulholland said.
Interest in the groundbreaking tour was strong from the start.
‘‘We had a first information night in July, 2015 for the then Year 10 and 11 students. We started off in the library but the numbers attending were so big we had to move things to the school hall.’’
Trip deposits were made later that year with the numbers capped at 53, the maximum the tour bus can accommodate.
The majority of the students, two-thirds of whom are female, are going to Europe for a first time.
A crucial step in the journey was completed two weekends ago with a last fund-raising effort for the once-in-a-lifetime experience which comes with a $7000 individual price-tag, not including daily spending.
The all-day Play with Lego exhibition at the college on February 25 was a successful last hurrah. As a point of difference, it was organised by the staff to raise enough money to provide hoodies for the tourists.
‘‘It went really well. We had a steady trickle of people through all day,’’ said Mulholland whose brother, Daniel is a key player in the Wellington Lego User group.
For Year 13 students Adriana Johnson and McKenzie Anderson and Year 12s Alyssa Buchanan the big dream is arriving and the ‘‘blur’’ of nearly two years of carwash days, quiz nights, stocktaking shifts, and endless sausage sizzles is over.
‘‘I’ve always wanted to go to London,’’ Adriana said. ’’The fund-raising has been fun, though sometimes you ended up with less than you expected. No one has pulled out which is great.’’
‘‘For the car wash we had rostered hours to work and everyone got in and helped,’’ McKenzie said.
‘‘It was a good experience and it meant we got to really get to know the people we are going to be travelling with.’’