On May 26, 2012, my senior class of twenty-six people set out for Garden City South Carolina for our senior trip. When most people think of the term "Senior Trip", partying, drinking and many other outlandish things come to mind. As high school seniors we want to have one last blowout party with our frineds before high school is over and we have to move into the real world. My senior class decided to do things a little more differently.
At 5am Portersville High School senior students loaded a school bus and headed for South Carolina. Yes, thats right, a school bus. We laughed and played games and did all the things you would do on a sixteen hour "car" ride but when we arrived things became much different. Sure we went to the beach and went shopping, walked on the board walk and stayed up too late but our senior trip had a little more meaning. We decided months in advance that we were not going to have a typical senior trip, we were going to South Carolina, where it was ever so tempting to stay at the beach all day, and volunteer. That's right, we turned our final week together on our big senior trip into a missions trip and it became the best decison ever. We all took turns cooking meals, not always the best idea, and we got up by 7 am at the latest. We split into groups and drove to places in need in several parts of the state. We donated time to several food banks in need of our help and we did spring cleaning in churches. We landscaped, cleaned, and witnessed to peoplel at homeless shelters and drug and alcohol rehabiliation centers. We painted playgrounds and sang and danced and played games with wonderful people at the adult day care center. We picked up trash in the state park and along countless public beaches. We got pooped on my seagulls and found crabs on the beach. We played guitar on the balcany and had late night talks. We spoke of God and we showed people in our actions what it means to be Christian. We had devotions on the beach and we marveled in God's beauty as we watched the sun rise over the water. We prayed furvently for one of our classmates who lost and diamond necklace from her Grandmother at the beach and we were rewarded when we found it buried in the sand a few days later. We met, converted, helped, and become friends with people that will have lasting relationships with. We baked in the southern sun, got covered in dirt and paint, and we did it all for God's glory. Twenty-six High School Seniors.
So when people ask me how my senior trip to the beach was, I tell them. I tell them about our service and how I'm sure that over one week twenty-six people have never become closer. I share with them that I can not imagine a more fun or rewarding trip then the one I took with my classmates. So no, we did not have a typical senior trip but I for one, would not trade my experience for anything. I love what we did, I love who we became, and i would not trade that wonderful experience for anything.
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2 Replies to “Senior Trip 2012”
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Thank you for these tips on how to plan a family safari! I’d like to be able to take my whole family and show them the beauty of Africa. But it always seemed so daunting to plan a whole trip that everyone would enjoy. I mean there’s always the age differences, and differences in interest as well to think about. Just thinking of ensuring that everything goes well planned is stressing me out. That’s why I turned to the internet in search of tips! Definitely will use your tips on how to choose a safari.
Very good tips. We all should follow these tips for a safe road trip. Thanks for the great help.
Thankyou Mr Ralph S for giving precise information on the overland.
i will be travelling for the 1st time from adelaide to melbourne this month end. it will be of grt help.
Soon I’ll be planning a trip to Dubai. Thanks for the information about what’s worth visiting.
Hello Lansdell family! This is a great place for a long weekend of outdoors exploration and a beautiful park. In late May, a new business is opening = https://www.floattheriver.net/ = which will run float trips on inner tubes on portions of the river. I asked some locals and they suggested that after biking and hiking and riding the train, your kids might enjoy day trips to nearby Canton, Akron or Cleveland. Each has lots of Metroparks (the public system of urban parks) and museums, etc to do and see. With some planning, all your days can be as full of variety as you would like. We hope you have a wonderful trip.
How did you get around the Darien Gap?
Very good
Thank you for sharing these warm and touching thoughts of yours! I’ve only been the Belarus once, but I wish I read it before going, something in my experience would definitely be different then. I did use some advise – from the telegram channel for foreigners https://t.me/Belanews but I guess your opinion would be great to consider and embrace too.
Thanks for all the info. We are planning on going in August, and are trying to find a nature-centered vacation for our family of 4, kids ages 7 and 4. We are from Southern Ontario, Canada and we came across this national park. Would you recommend this place for 3-4 days? Is there enough to do (hiking, train rides, exploring etc)? Somewhere else? We also looked at the Smoky Mountains but its about a 11-12 hours vs the 5-6 hours to Cuyohoga. Any advice would be helpful.
That place is really amazing. I want to spend my vacations on this beautiful place. Thanks for sharing this nice information.
I've been there last year. If someone is looking for a nice hotel I can highly recommend to take a look at the Hotel Rappen Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
Such a good information.Nice work.Very useful for us.
The gardens of Suzhou are absolutely beautiful and something that you don’t want to miss while you are there.
Traveling with your children in s Suzhou is super easy and safe. My family had a lot of fun and the kids really enjoyed there time there. One thing they really loved was going down all of the canals. Here is some great information on all the beautiful canals that you can explore.
It looks like a beautiful experience. Turkey is a wonderful country -and the fact that it’s not that expensive compared to other countries makes a visit there even more tempting. Thanks for sharing.
good tips, safety comes first so that our trip may be remembered as a happy memoir when we went to see and explore new places and have fun. and not as a terrifying night in the ER. god bless you all , be safe
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Great tips for road trips!
Thanks for posting, very valuable information .
Being visiting is one of the best experiences of my life. Being there and enjoying every bit of time is wonderful. Personally, my best experience is an underground aquarium and desert safari. One visited Dubai must go for these two activities.
Would love this for our family!
We’ve always wanted to go and now they are old enough to enjoy it.
Thanks so much for doing this!
The beaches, the weather, the food, the attractions and the activities- everything was perfect.
I think parents should focus more on preparing or educating their children about the proper etiquette and behaviors before the flight to avoid being a nuisance to others. I don’t know much about kids but as a first-time mom, that’s what I will do.
Hi,
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Thanks
Seeking for your positive reply.
Hi,
I would like to travel out of the US with my son. I understand that I would need his father to sign and notarize a letter. He had not been a stand up dad to take care of his responsibilities so he left and I can’t find him. What can I do in a situation like that to travel with my son?
happy you enjoyed the story. This park is in Ohio where the climate can be capricious! It’s hottest between late April and November, however even April has the danger of some snow. In case you’re enjoying the great outdoors with children, the most secure wager is June to August, since it’s hotter and there’s little downpour. Make the most of your trek.
Wonderfully informative article!
I want to go travel with kids but I was not decided where we go. Your post is helpful for me. Thanks for sharing.
Tenerife is SO stunning! I love this volcanic landscape, sometimes you feel like you traveled to the Moon. This place has it all – great views, pleasant weather, awesome food, wine and laid-back people. Thanks for sharing ideas, I’ll use some of them on my next trip 🙂
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I automatically think the word “gumbling” when I heard Las Vegas. I never knew that Las Vegas has something to offer for youngsters. Will bring my children here soon.
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There is no Doubt, Dubai is most popular destination among tourists from across the world and have gained high popularity in last decade. If you are in Dubai and dhow go for dhow cruise, there is some thing missing on your list. There are Dubai dhow cruise, Musandam Dibba dhow cruise and Khasab Musandam dhow cruise. Try some of them and you will love.
Istanbul layover tour is a great service to use the best of your time in Istanbul Airport. However if you like to have a private attention and flexibility, you can check private tour services of ISTANBUL LAYOVER TOURS. They are offering the layover tours from Istanbul International Airport.
Great article! Wanted for Christmas again. Do you know anything about this place ? It is very interesting to know the opinions. How much advance it is necessary to book a hotel and various entertainment before the holidays?