Watch above: some Stony Rapids students are fundraising their way to Europe
STONY RAPIDS, Sask. – A group of students from Stony Rapids Community School in northern Saskatchewan will be heading to Europe this summer on a one-of-a-kind class trip at the end of June.
The school has raised roughly $64,000 towards the trip, but Stony Rapids principal Shawn Morris says the group still needs to cover the cost of travel to and from Saskatoon, as well as their hotels. The students’ goal is to raise around $72,000
“We back everything that’s going on here, so we rally around good causes,” said Morris, who is originally from Atlantic Canada. He added that fundraising is a large part of the school year.
“We fundraise a lot for the trip,” said Gerald Robillard, a ninth grade student at the school.
The school received a ‘learning opportunities’ grant from the government for $6,000, while the rest was collected through fundraising. The students ran events like bingo and movie nights to grow their funds.
The price tag may be hefty, however administrators at the school say the trip helps expand their students’ worldview and allows them to easier transition to high school in a large community, such as La Ronge or Prince Albert. Stony Rapids Community School only offers classes up to the ninth grade.
“That will prepare them even more for when they have to move down south for grade ten, eleven, twelve, because they’re going to be going through that shift of a new place and new faces,” said Rebecca Gibbs, a teacher at the school.
This isn’t the first trip for Morris and his staff; in 2012, 11 students visited China on a tour. The same number of students is expected to travel to Europe this summer.
“They want them to feel what’s on the outside, abroad, like Paris and England,” said Daniel Powder, the mayor of Stony Rapids.
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