A few years after James Clemens opened, Mr. Combs said to me, "It would be cool to take kids on trips. Big trips." I thought that was just brilliant. Of course kids should see the world; it's the best learning experience.
So in 2015, we started signing kids up to travel. It was a week in London and 4 students signed up. We saw Buckingham Palace, the houses of Parliament, St. Paul's cathedral, and (sadly) Big Ben was undergoing some work, so we saw the box around the tower. I watched kids learn to navigate the underground, manage free time on their own, use local currency, and absorb a foreign culture.
That was it for me. I knew that traveling with students needed to be on my list of priorities. We started the JCHS Travelers' Society to teach students about upcoming destinations and help them to learn about foreign cultures. Kids could join (even if they were not traveling with us) to learn a bit of foreign language, participate in a themed potluck, or just see some of the places and learn the history of the locations we plan on visiting.
If you are a James Clemens student who is interested in joining Travelers Society, drop by my room, F143, during Refuel for more information.
Happy trails!