On Feb. 3, the senior council proposed an overnight senior trip to Jeju Island that would ultimately be rejected by the administration. In response to popular request and its prevalence in other international schools, senior HSSC representatives had outlined a trip to take place in April for recreational and celebratory purposes. Although school-sanctioned graduation trips are a tradition in the middle school, an overnight senior trip has not been approved in the past decade.

“There have been limited opportunities to go on overnight trips during the time we spent at school,” said Sophia Chi, senior president. “A day trip would be too short compared to an overnight trip, especially if we were to go to places farther away. The senior council wanted the senior class to [bond] and celebrate their hard work and make more unique and lasting memories to conclude our last year at the school.”

While supportive of the representatives’ intentions, the administration pointed to the proposed date as the root of its reluctance. According to Jarret Lambie, high school principal, the trip’s proximity to AP exams puts seniors’ academic responsibilities on the line and clouds the aim of the trip.

“The seniors have to be clearer on what they are looking for through the trip,” Mr. Lambie said. “If the sole purpose [of the trip] is a class bonding session, the school is supportive of authorizing the trip; however, that purpose would have made more sense [at] the beginning of the year, not a week before graduation. But if the purpose is celebratory, chaperoning teachers and the school are put in a difficult position.”

A number of students have expressed disappointment that an opportunity to make memories with their peers before going their separate ways can no longer be achieved via the school. The administration, however, maintains that such experiences can and should be established through private efforts.

“Seniors definitely deserve to have fun,” Mr. Lambie said. “But it should to be done on their own, independent of the school. This is a perfect opportunity for students to organize themselves and prove to their parents that they are responsible enough to be trusted half way across the world in a few months.”