The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Travel is a luxury that not all can afford. Education Tours is an organization that aids in the funding and organization of student travel programs worldwide. At Sisters High School, these tours used to be a tradition, but when COVID-19 shut down travel, the school had to put their plans on hold.

This coming spring of 2024, introduces the first official EF Educational Tours trip Sisters High School students have been involved in since 2020. This tight-knit group of eight are visiting five different countries over 11 days. These countries included Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Estonia.

"I've never been outside the country, so I'm super excited to be able to go on this trip," said senior Abigail Christopher.

Trips have been historically guided by teachers Samra Spear and Gail Greaney; this year is no different. Originally taken over from a previous Spanish teacher at SHS, Janis Quiros, Spear, and Greaney have carried on this tradition for 10 years.

"We love working with EF because they truly try to immerse you as much as they can into the culture. Whether it be trying out the foods or having local guides, the kids really get to experience the culture and not just be a tourist," said Spear.

The planning for this trip began in March 2023, giving the students and teachers time to pay for and organize the trip. Their tour begins in Oslo Scandinavia for three days before they take an overnight ferry to Copenhagen. The students will get the chance to sightsee the Christiansborg Palace and climb the 17th-century Round-Tower before moving on to Stockholm, Helsinki, and Tallinn.

Many of them have never ventured outside of America, but are eager to explore these new places and introduce themselves to new people and alternative ways of living. Neither Greaney, Spear have visited Scandinavia either, which will make this a new experience for all of them.

"This is my first time traveling globally. I'm most excited to visit Denmark, see their culture, eat different foods, and just travel," said senior Presley Adelt.

With the majority of students being a part of the senior class, there are no doubts as to how memorable this excursion will be.

"This is a very special group of kids, we know them well, and it's my daughter's class," said Greaney That combination of hearing about these places but never having been there before is all very exciting,"

"Because a large part of the group is seniors it'll be nice to just have fun with my friends. It's a great transition before college and graduation. We're all just excited to see this new part of the world," said senior Molly Greaney.

In addition to this tour, Greaney and Spear are planning for their following trip to Portugal which will take place during spring break of 2025.