Chaminade’s experiential school trips create some of the best memories for students. There are international trips, nationwide trips, and visits to St. Louis locations like Six Flags, the Gateway Arch, museums, and more. The Covid-19 pandemic is finally fading, but it prevented nearly two years of student ravel. Now, we are able to return to our normal activities. However, some things have changed about our Chaminade trips. There will be new teachers and new activities. Let’s look at each grade’s travel experiences for the rest of the semester.

The 6th grade will go on their classic trip to the Grand Tetons near Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Their trip begins on Saturday, April 23, and the students return on Saturday, April 30. Teachers such as Mr. McCoy and Mr. Gauvain will be travelling and staying in Wyoming for the 8^th grade trip the following week. Mr. Mug, Mr. Kelly, and others will also join the 6^th graders. There will be many of the same traditions like visits to the Oxbow Bend, the Snake River, and various parks. However, some new additions will be in the nighttime activities at the Teton Science School, where the students will be staying. Bonfires, outdoor movies, and small lessons about the environment of the Grand Tetons will allow the students to have fun and bond with each other.

The 7^th graders will enjoy the experiences of Chicago from Tuesday, April 26 to Friday April 29. As with the 6^th grade trip, many traditions will remain the same including the White Sox game, the Tilt at the John Hancock Tower, the Seadog Ride, and visits to museums and Navy Pier. Interestingly, the visit to the John Hancock Tower will be at night, making for a beautiful view. The Seadog ride will also take the 7^th graders through the Chicago River to tour the city. Students will also enjoy the now open Shedd Aquarium, Science and Industry Museum, and the Field Museum of Natural History. Mr. Chiburis leads the trip, and the new 7^th grade math teacher, Mrs. Dohr, will also travel with students.

The week after the 6^th graders complete their trip to Wyoming, the 8^th graders will travel to the Grand Tetons. They will leave on Saturday, April 30, and return on Saturday, May 7. Unfortunately, missed the opportunity to travel in 6^th and 7^th grade due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Finally, they are able to complete one of Chaminade’s most classic trips. The current 7^th graders also missed out on their chance to travel to Wyoming, so there will be a similar travel format next year with the 6^th and 8^th grade trips. Many teachers will travel with the students including Mrs. Young, Ms. Dalton, Mr. Gambaro, Mr. Master, and Coach Mo. Mr. Twellman and Fr. Sean will also make the trip. Day and night activities will be very similar to the 6th grade trip. There may also be an optional summer trip for the 8^th grade to Washington, D.C.

The 9^th grade trip will involve two days of activities around St. Louis. On Thursday, April 28, the freshman will visit three different locations: The Transportation Museum, the Creve Coeur Airport, and Creve Coeur Lake to participate in different physics experiments. Students will truly be able to use their skills from freshman physics class on the Physics Day at Six Flags on Friday, April 29. They will collect data from the rides and use their findings in class.

The 10^th grade trip happened last week on Monday, April 4 and Tuesday, April 5. On the first day, they visited the Old Cathedral, Soldiers Memorial, and the Museum at the Gateway Arch. On the second day, students visited a mosque, a synagogue, and finished the day with a trip to the Art Museum. For each location, students needed to collect information on artifacts to complete assignment in Social Studies class.

The 11^th grade will have leadership on Thursday, April 21 and Friday, April 22. However, the activities are often unknown to the rest of the school. The 12^th grade have their Esto Vir Day on April 21 and have a Senior Appreciation Day on April 22.

Chaminade offers amazing trips for its students, and they make memories that last a lifetime. Let’s hope that students had a great time on previous trips and others will enjoy the upcoming trips as much as possible.