Global Studies Program Trip to Scotland June 2024

Welcome to the fundraising page for our first international Global Studies Program trip!

We will be heading to Scotland in June of 2024. We are a small rural school system in Clay County, North Carolina and our Global Studies Choice Based Program is an afterschool program that meets twice a week for the whole school year. Our program is offered to all sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students here at Hayesville Middle School and also has a mentor component for our Hayesville High School students. This program is a year long commitment and we can’t believe the eagerness for so many of our students to learn about the world around them and their place in it.

Although we are a school group with Clay County Schools, NC, this trip is not affiliated with our school system, for funding and liability reasons. However, I can state openly that we do have the school systems support in this amazing opportunity for our students. It is very important to us to be successful in providing this awesome opportunity for our kids at a limited financial burden cost of their families as so many of our students qualify in a true poverty level, which is why we have started so early in our fundraising efforts. This is how we found ourselves looking to fund the 19 students of our rising eighth, ninth, and tenth grade global studies participants and mentors to go on a trip to Scotland next year.

This coming year will be our third consecutive year that we have run this program and we are so proud of it and our students. At the end of this coming year, our eighth grade students and our High School mentors will have been in this program for a full 3 year long curriculum. We want to bring a real world travel experience to our students that successfully completed the rigorous after school program during their middle school years. This is why we are looking forward to providing this opportunity for our students, that have finished the program, at the end of this upcoming year.

Our students have also already begun working on donations, some even trying to get a summer job. I cannot thank you enough for being here, spreading the word, and considering funding our amazing program participants. We will also provide updates and student videos throughout the trip to this website. Every little bit will help to pay for all 19 students to go on this trip. We have high set standards for these 25 students to get to go including behavior and academic requirements that they must maintain throughout the school year.

Our Global Studies Program International Trip to Scotland will be next June 10-18th, 2024. We are currently working on a few grants to cover some of these funds for this trip and putting together this fundraising website as it is going to be a huge combined undertaking to get it done. Each student traveling will cost a total of $4,200 each. My hope is to get all funds covered.

On this trip all will be covered but lunch and includes the below:

The below also shows our trip itinerary:

**subject to change as needed.**

Day 1 Travel from Atlanta to Scotland

Day 2 Hello Glasgow

Meet your tour director and check into hotel

Glasgow city walk

Strathclyde University, City Chambers, George Square

Day 3 and 4 Glasgow--Highlands

Travel to Highlands via Loch Lomond

Nevis Range Mountain Gondola ride

Travel to Isle of Skye

Day 5 Glencoe and Loch Ness

Glencoe and Loch Ness excursion

Loch Ness boat cruise, Culloden Moor

Attend a competition of the traditional Highland Hammer Throw Games

Day 6-7 Highlands--Edinburgh

Travel to Edinburgh via the Trossachs

Stirling Castle visit

Edinburgh Business Expo

Day 8 Edinburgh landmarks

Edinburgh guided sightseeing tour

Royal Mile, Old Town, Sir Walter Scott Monument

Edinburgh Castle visit

Edinburgh city walk

Charlotte Square, Alexander Graham Bell’s home, Robert Louis Stevenson’s home, Robert Burns Monument

Edinburgh guided ghost tour

Day 9 St. Andrews

St. Andrews excursion

University, Cathedral visit, Castle visit, Old Course (golf course)

Scottish folklore show

Day 10 End tour and Travel Home

Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions concerning our trip. Thank you for your consideration. If you are unable to give but would like to help, please share this link with others. Here is a statement from our school Super indent Mr. Cole regarding this trip, "Although our Global Studies GearUP program is a school group with Clay County Schools, NC throughout the school year, this trip is not affiliated with our school system, for funding and liability reasons. However, our school system is excited to see an experiential learning opportunity take place for these students on these teachers' own time with students who qualify with their academic and behavioral expectations."

Most sincerely,

Ginger Scerri

[email redacted]

Enjoy a few pictures of these awesome kiddos below: