The cancellation of the interim trips for Freshmen and Sophomores was a shock to most of the student body. Except it wasn’t a cancellation - it was a movement. The faculty decision to change the fundamental experience of interim weeks was to gear the event more towards community service and to give the staff more time to plan the events.
A major driving force in the changes to interim week was Mrs. Young. Her ideology was to have the whole body of upperclassmen be united in community service and also in the book they will be reading.
Hannah’s and my article serve as a pro and con to the changes made to this year’s interim. My article supports the changes made while Hannah’s explores the reasons that it should have remained the way it was.
Pro
This year the interim trips for the freshmen and sophomores were changed and as a sophomore, I am all right with that decision. I know many people miss the trip, but I am much happier with the new changes that were implemented to interim week this year. Although the freshman trip was enjoyable, I would much rather have the new interim week which is focused on community service in the Spring.
During the trip all throughout northern Arizona, we were constantly on the bus. Always driving from place to place in the cramped, sweaty bus was not an aspect that was widely enjoyed. During the trip, instead of a couple of five-minute rides, there were many hour-two hour-long rides. Even to get to the Grand Canyon, which was the highlight of the whole trip, it took an hour and a half to get there.
All these long drives beget tiredness. I felt constantly drowsy and slow throughout the trip. No amount of sleep was ever enough since we were always on the move. Trying to sleep on the bus was difficult: it was loud, stuffy, and uncomfortable.
Other than that the best part of the trip was the bonding time between students. I didn’t really make new friends, but I reinforced relationships with people that I already knew. This would have happened with or without the trip. Maybe it would have taken a little longer, but it still would have happened.
Even on top of the trip price tag of a couple of hundred dollars, throughout the length of the trip, you would always be spending money on knick-knacks, souvenirs, gadgets, and food. That gets very expensive over the course of the week. I started out at around $100 and spent almost all of it.
Last but not least, the places we went to were interesting, but I think they failed to really captivate the students. For example, we went on about a four-hour boat ride in a canyon, where we learned about the history, geography, and importance of this canyon. On the boat, we ate sandwiches that gave a couple of people stomach aches. The general consensus from my classmates was that it took forever, people were sore from sitting that long, and it was not a productive use of the day.
The interim trip was not an overall bad experience, but I am not against the decision to gear the event toward community service. The trip was largely spent on the bus, we had to bring a lot of spending money on top of the price of the trip itself, and ultimately it failed to engage the students.
Cons
Interim weeks have always been looked forward to, yet this year they have been canceled for freshmen and sophomores. It seems unfair that upperclassmen still get to enjoy themselves for a week, while the lower classmen are left ignored, and without the additional educational experiences that interim weeks are supposed to provide.
The act of going to school every day can easily turn to mindlessness and boredom, which can be helped by taking a break. Interim weeks provided an experience for students where they could still learn, but outside of the classroom instead.
My own freshman interim week was eventful, but at a slow pace: a bus ride throughout northern Arizona. The buses were constantly filled with life and energy. There were people playing board games mixed with laughter in the back, and everything in-between. There were plenty of empty spaces to lie down for a much-needed nap.
I will admit, the hours on the bus were long, but it wasn't boring at all. There was always someone to talk to, or someone who had movies to watch. Everyone shared the same aura of fatigue as the trip progressed, but we pushed through together.
The close quarters gave way to lots of bonding with fellow classmates. Particularly, for me, right before interim week, I hit a rough patch in the friends area but was able to come out of interim week with a stronger bond of friendship than I expected. I wasn’t the only one, as there were multiple friend groups to evolve from this week that perhaps became stronger.
The administrators and organizers of the trip had urged us to bring around 100 dollars for trip expenses, however spending this much money is a choice that students should be held accountable to make for themselves. I did not spend the total of my 100 dollars, even though some other students may have. It’s a choice to spend money on “knick-knacks” and souvenirs. The trips are costly, but they can serve as an opportunity for students to learn to budget.
Throughout the trip, there were many sites to visit with limited time. I agree that the places weren’t always the most captivating, nor were they the most productive use of time. The trip was not solely about the places we went but the overall act of getting away. For students, a week to sit down and take a breather is a dream. I truly believe that interim weeks fulfill everything they are meant to be.
Written by both Michael Pisestsky (buisness manager) and Hannah Calonje (online manager)