DC NY

NO, I won't make you wear the safety vests on the trip!

I took this photo back in the mid 90's- I couldn't imagine having students do this!

But if you are obnoxious this could happen to you. (My Former East kids- help me with names, Ben Johnson is in row 2- thinking the two in front are Ryan and Ben Z.?)

This was on my second trip with students. These two sat right behind our driver, each one was right in his ear. I can still hear one of the questions they asked him, "Do you have to go to college to be a driver?" Joking around, the driver duct taped their mouths. Our driver wouldn't do that, he will make some do push ups though!

Sadly, over the weekend of October 13-14, 2021 while on a tour with kids, Thomas Hobbs had a heart attack and passed away. 

This is from one of the Worldstrides people:

The first thing that comes to mind about Thomas is how much he loved WorldStrides and loved working our groups.  As hard as good Lecture Drivers are to find these days, Thomas called frequently looking for additional work.  He never turned down a program and always wanted more.  Thomas was very dedicated and would always go above and beyond for his groups while on tour, trying to fit in extra sites or get his group into an appointment that was hard to secure.  Thomas was one of our most highly requested Drivers.  He drove some groups for over a decade and formed lifelong bonds with some PLs.  I know because I would sometimes receive letters from our PLs about how much they enjoyed having Thomas on their program and how he “made the trip.”  The second thing that comes to mind is what a cut up Thomas was.  He kept you on your toes!

Thomas started doing then Lakeland Tours groups through Metro in the mid-1990s and drove close to 600 programs over 25 years.  This means he helped educate around 30,000 students!  Thomas became a WorldStrides Driver in Sept of 2006, and has worked exclusively for us since then.

It was very sad to lose Thomas so suddenly, particularly while on an actual program.  Thomas impacted and made a positive impression on many lives and was a great example of the dedication that has made WorldStrides so great over the decades.

Thomas became a friend to all as soon as he met you. He would call us on holidays, or because something reminded him of you. He cared for my family and treated them like they were part of his. The world lost a good one! The chaperones hearts are breaking at the loss. He will be greatly missed. Mr. Irvine. 

Check out some of these videos from the trip

"Your'e Lokkin Good" and a musket demonstration from when we went to Jamestown. Odd Couple.

Here are some promotional videos I have made for the trip. It will give you some good ideas of what we do.

Over the years I've tried to take some cool pics, these are a few.

Parents

Parents are welcome to sign up for the trip. They have no responsibility for the students and they often have more fun on the trip than the kids! The parents do not have curfew or bed checks haha.

This trip is NOT an LPS or Lux Middle School Trip

Non-School-Sponsored Trips

Trips that are not school-sponsored trips are not the responsibility of Lincoln Public Schools. Any staff member who arranges or is involved in arranging a trip that is not school sponsored has the responsibility to clearly communicate in all meetings, publications and postings, published electronically or graphically, that the District is not responsible for the trip. Students are sometimes given the opportunity to participate in trips that have an apparent connection to the District but which, in fact, are not school sponsored. Some examples: (1) travel with a club sport team, where the team is coached by the student’s high school coach; (2) a band travelling to an out-of-state band contest that is arranged by a Booster Club; or (3) a foreign language teacher taking students abroad during the summer.

These opportunities are often worthwhile and beneficial to students. However, these opportunities are not school-sponsored activities. All arrangements for such trips, including costs, travel, supervision and safety, are the responsibility of the group or person making the trip available to the students. Lincoln Public Schools has no responsibility for such trips.

Anyone who is uncertain as to whether or not a particular opportunity is school-sponsored should contact the building principal or building athletic director. Employees who are involved in such trips have the responsibility to ensure that parents and students are aware that the activity is not school-sponsored.