The best words an elementary school kid could ever hear: field trip. These trips were arguably the best parts of school back in the good old days. The rush of freedom and new things to discover made for memorable times, but why did the opportunities for field trips seem to disappear in high school?

Class field trips are not only exciting for small kids but also beneficiary for skills later in life. “I liked that I got to see things that I didn’t see at school every day,” recalls Elkhart-East sophomore Charlotte Myers.

These adventures might have just seemed like a way to get out of a boring day at school, but they also taught students to be more adventurous, understanding, and confident. 

According to a study, in a group of 400 adults, the half that went on field trips in school had better grades, higher graduation rates, and higher incomes in their jobs.

So, why do field trip opportunities for high schoolers seem nonexistent? There’s a number of guesses. It could be because a lot of high school students are old enough to drive themselves to these locations or have simply grown out of the spirit of field trips. “I feel like field trips were for younger kids because they had trouble focusing,” Myers suggests. “But, most people in high school don’t have as much of an issue with that!” Another very probable reason is that older students already have increasing opportunities, such as internships and the Career Center.

Field trips were always a great way to get out of the school routine for a day of adventure and fun. Although underclassmen may have difficulty adjusting to not having these trips after middle school, they have opportunities to look forward to in their coming years of high school.