High schoolers will have the chance to go to Ireland and Scotland in April 2017.

Trip coordinator and Assistant Principal Debbie Freitas has been leading student trips for the last 14 years. Though she originally wanted to have the students go to Portugal, there was no trip that specifically focused on the area. Fortunately, she said, the students seemed very interested in visiting Ireland and Scotland

The students will be visiting the countries for about a week, but that their days would be jam-packed with activities. The program is mostly based around guided tours, but Freitas said there would be several opportunities for students to explore on their own.

“We will give them about an hour, hour-and-a-half of free time in each city,” Freitas said. “We do limit the students, and we send them out in groups of three or four, not alone or in pairs. Some will stay with the chaperones, because they feel more comfortable.”

Beyond getting to go somewhere new, Freitas said the students also get “a different perspective of the world,” because the trips expose them to new cultures and ideas.

“Being there and experiencing it – it’s really a once-in-a-lifetime experience for some of these students,” Freitas said. “The kids come out of their shell, and are changed a bit. It opens up their eyes.”

She also said she has heard from one student whose trip inspired her current career: the student is now working as a translator at the U.S. Embassy in Spain.

Freitas said she is hoping for about 30 students, and that there are payment plans available for students who may have a harder time paying for the whole trip up front. For more information, contact Debbie Freitas at dfreitas@wareham.k12.ma.us.