POCOMOKE – Students and staff at Pocomoke High School (PHS) are seeking the community’s support to fund an international excursion trip to Germany.
In April of 2019, students at Pocomoke High School (PHS) will have the opportunity to travel to Germany as part of an international excursion trip that focuses on culture, education and history.
Jess McInerney, a social studies teacher at PHS and coordinator for the trip, said she created a GoFundMe page in an effort to give all interested students the ability to travel to Germany.
Money raised from the GoFundMe account will first be used to cover the cost of tips associated with transportation and travel while the remaining money will go toward each student’s $3,400 excursion cost.
“That is why we are fundraising,” she said. “The students are really excited to go and some of them haven’t even been on a plane.”
McInerney said 70 percent of students at PHS receive a free or reduced lunch and many work part-time jobs to support themselves and their families.
With the community’s support, McInerney said students who travel to Germany will have a chance to develop new interests and potentially pursue those interests in college.
“It’s to have students see their full potential,” she said.
While in Germany, students will travel to Berlin, Dresden, Munich, Dachau and Heidelberg to view sights such as Checkpoint Charlie, Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site, the Munich Olympic Stadium, several castles and cathedrals, and more.
While an interest meeting won’t be held until next week, McInerney said the school’s goal is to open 20 spots for students in grades 9-12.
“We are trying to think larger now,” she said. “It is going to take a lot more to defer this cost.”
Though the school held smaller fundraisers to cover certain costs from last year’s student trip to London, Paris and Rome, McInerney said a larger GoFundMe initiative will give more students a chance to travel to Germany.
“They learn a lot and we really wanted to broaden our students’ mindsets,” she said.
McInerney said community members who contribute towards the school’s $10,000 goal will be investing in the students’ futures.
“I think people in Worcester County and on the Eastern Shore value students’ experiences … and they’ll be sharing in that global experience,” she said.
McInerney said members of the community can donate online at https://www.gofundme.com/pocomoke-hs-trip-of-a-lifetime.
“This is the start for us, but we are very excited,” she said.
