Field Trip To Cuba May Be Delayed

Field Trip To Cuba May Be Delayed Parents say they could use more time to raise the money

+ click to enlarge News staff photo by Tara Vocino Parents, staff and students asked questions during an informational meeting about a proposed field trip to Cuba, originally scheduled for 2016, at Narragansett Regional High School Tuesday. Tara Vocino Reporter TEMPLETON — Parents suggested moving the timeline of a proposed field trip to Cuba from June 2016 to February 2017 to allow more time to raise funds during an informational meeting at the Narragansett Regional High School library on Tuesday. The plan is for students, parents and teachers to travel to the Caribbean island for nine days. They will interact with local high school students, prepare Cuban food, play Cuban drums, and students will earn college credit through educational tours. Hosted by the International Club, the trip will be sponsored by WorldStrides, an educational travel company. According to teacher Steven Latorre, co-leader of the trip, postponing the trip to 2017 allows more time to raise funds. Parent Ann-Marie Geyster, whose daughters, senior Jillian and sophomore Jordan, want to participate, was concerned about financial assistance for all income levels and all family sizes. The trip costs around $3,200. “You have to be under the $85,000 annual gross income guideline, no matter if you have one or six kids going,” Ms. Geyster said, to qualify for financial aid. She said her experience leads her to believe it’s not feasible to raise that much money by June 2016. “Being involved in Girl Scouts over the years, I don’t see us raising this much money by then,” Ms. Geyster said. “Why don’t we push the date back to 2017 so we have more time?” Mr. Latorre Skyped with Solenne Santana, senior travel consultant for WorldStrides, for a half hour during the meeting, where parents asked her questions about the proposed trip. Ms. Geyster asked Ms. Santana about required documentation. Ms. Santana said the cost of passports are not included, but the cost of visas are included. Ms. Geyster was also concerned that Jillian, her graduating senior who will be in college if the proposed trip is pushed back to 2017, wouldn’t qualify. But Ms. Santana assured her she’d still be able to participate. Parent Shelly Salinas, whose daughter Daniella, a sophomore, is also interested in attending, said the trip’s cost is an awful lot of money to raise by the 2016 proposed date. “I work for Massachusetts General Hospital and I could draw more people by 2017,” Ms. Salinas said. “I could ask people at work, send out support letters to family and friends and start a GoFundMe page.” Ms. Salinas would like to attend if she can raise the money. Daniella, who is half Puerto Rican, would like to participate to go back to her Latin roots. “I want to experience new things, such as the language and food,” Daniella said. “You can’t experience much culture around here.” The International Club will host a family-friendly film night, featuring “The Book of Life,” Friday, Oct. 30, at 6:30 p.m., in the high school library. Profits from baked goods and water sold will go toward the trip’s cost. Twenty-four students and 40 people overall including parents and staff have expressed interest in going. Ms. Santana said it was great to have so much interest at the informational meeting. “I would love to work with you guys to make it happen, no matter when you decide to go,” Ms. Santana said. For information, visit educationaltravel.com.