MHPSD approves two international trips for 2024

By Samantha Johnson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on July 11, 2023.

reporter@medicinehatnews.com

The Medicine Hat Public School Division board of trustees has approved, in principle, two international trips scheduled for 2024.

The first was for students from both Medicine Hat and Crescent Heights high schools taking part in the Japanese Exchange Program to travel to Japan from July 19-Aug. 3, 2024.

“Returning after many years, is the exchange to Japan,” said superintendent Mark Davidson. “It’s been a long time, since pre-pandemic. Administration is recommending approval in principle as all of the initial expectations have been met.”

After the motion was made, trustee Deborah Forbes said, “I think the strength of this one is that it is an exchange program. The students come here and then our students go back there, so it is an exchange of families and I think this is a very strong cultural program.”

The second trip is for the Medicine Hat High School band program to travel to Spain and Portugal from March 29 to April 7, 2024. Forbes asked if enough fundraising was done for this trip so that any family who was not able to pay fin full had other means to take advantage of the opportunity.

“The challenge with these trips is they are very expensive,” replied Davidson. “One of the challenges is making sure you are able to commit to the amount of fundraising needed to get there. This one is a little harder to make sure it is for everybody, (it) doesn’t mean there isn’t lots of help, but it’s harder.”

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