Dear 8th grade students and parents:

Registration is now open for our annual 8th grade overnight trip to Springfield, Illinois!

I have participated with the Springfield trip for many years, and I find that this is not only a quality program focusing on the historical significance of Illinois and Lincoln, but a fun weekend, too! It's a nice overnight trip for both students who have never been away from home, and experienced travelers. We depart on a Friday morning (students will miss classes that day--students who do not go are expected to be in school), and return on Saturday evening. We keep about a 1:10 ratio of teachers to students. The overnight security at the hotel is top-notch, even letting rooms know if they're getting too loud after hours. Students do get to choose their roommates ahead of time; there will be four students to a room. Except for packing a sack lunch for Friday, all other meals are included and are mostly buffet style (something for everyone & accommodating for allergies). Emergency numbers are provided to everyone on the trip and at home. We will have an informational meeting early in the week before we travel to make sure everyone knows the expectations of the program and the itinerary. I really cannot say enough good things about this exceptional experience!

If interested, please follow the directions on the Registration Info Sheet below to go to the BrightSpark website to register (all payments go through the website). I highly recommend getting their RGP insurance (more info below the Registration Info), so you can get a full refund just in case any illnesses or family situations as we approach the weekend of travel in April. All registration and payments are handled through BrightSpark, and you will need to create your own account with them when you register.

Please take note, the individual cost per student varies depending on the number of students who sign up. (Really the cost varies based on the cost of the motor coach(es) divided by the number of total students by the final installment date.)

As the organizer of this trip, please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. I'm looking forward to another great trip with this group of awesome students!

Kimberly Yonker -- kyonker@csd17.org

Just a note: As of Fall 2019, BrightSpark has partnered with the travel company World Strides.

Here is a link to the official announcement. This should not affect our tour in any way.