By Lizzy Warner
Gargoyle staff reporter
Posted Thursday, April 19, 2007, The OG, news

FIRST IT WAS last year's three-day freshman field trip to Allerton Park.

That precedent-setting excursion by the Class of 2009 was such a success that it will be repeated next week by the current freshmen.

Now the Class of 2009 has achieved another first of sorts: a trip to Six Flags by a class other than the seniors.

On Saturday the sophomore class will spend the day at Six Flags St. Louis, a trip organized by class president Isaac Chambers, vice-president Alan Liang, and secretary/treasurer Natsuki Nakamura.

The voluntary trip will be held on a day when neither track meets nor soccer games are scheduled, so as many class members as possible will be able to join in the trip.

Students will depart from Uni at 7 a.m., and they are expected to return by 10:30 p.m.

But why now? Why go to Six Flags during sophomore year and not at the end of senior year, as is tradition?

Students from the Class of 2006 make their way
toward the “Batman” roller coaster during last
year's trip. (Gargoyle photo) (click to enlarge)

“As far as ‘Why now?'” says Chambers, “a better question would be, ‘Why not now?' and I don't have an answer to that question!”

According to Chambers, Six Flags St. Louis was one of the few options available that featured both a reasonable round-trip distance and a modest price. Admission to the park itself will be $22.99 per student, with one free chaperone ticket for every 15 students admitted.

The trip was made optional for sophomores since it doesn't serve an educational purpose (in contrast to the mandatory Allerton trip).

Students going on the trip are being asked to pay a total of $40 each to cover the cost of admission and transportation. Meals aren't being provided, so attending students are being asked to buy them at the park.

Prior to the trip there were concerns among the sophomore class that money going toward the St. Louis trip would affect sophomore class funds (i.e., money that would be used for their senior trip), but with each student paying his or her own way, it will not be necessary to withdraw money from the class funds.

Originally there was no definite count of how many students would be attending, but current estimates say about 30 students are planning to go. Transportation will be provided in the form of the U of I's “turtle vans” to ensure flexibility if the number of attending students changes for one reason or another.

Three to four chaperones are scheduled to go on the trip, including one or two parent volunteers, faculty member Rebecca Murphy, and Assistant Director Sue Kovacs.

Although chaperones will not be required to stay with students throughout the entire day, students are to remain in small groups for the duration of the trip.

Each group is required to have two available cell phones (cell phone numbers will be distributed among chaperones) that are turned on and functioning. Students will not be allowed to travel alone once in the park.

Overall, participants are looking forward to the trip, and the Uni administration has applauded the sophomores' initiative in making the event happen.

“I think it's great that you [the sophomore class] are able to have such a fun excursion and have been able to get it organized,” said Director/Principal Kassie Patton.

RELATED

— Six Flags St. Louis: Official site

— Gargoyle coverage: Photos: Class of 2006 trip to Six Flags