Williston will expand its roster of trips this year with offerings to Borneo, California, China, and Costa Rica. These trips will be spread across multiple vacations throughout the year. Several students have already signed up, including Sara Renkert, a senior who will be traveling to Borneo this spring with math teacher Josh Seamon.

“I really enjoyed the Madagascar trip [which occurred in the Spring of 2016],” Sara said. She said she loved “the whole process of being in a completely different culture.” The experience of going to a completely different country after growing up in a rural town in Connecticut changed Sara’s life. She didn’t hesitate to sign up again when Seamon revealed that this year’s trip would be to Borneo, an island  in Southeast Asia known for its beaches and biodiversity.

Sara is particularly excited about this trip because this is her first time travelling to Asia.

“We are getting our SCUBA licenses,” she said, “which means we get to see all the ocean coral reefs off Borneo as well as holding baby orangutans, exploring Borneo’s historic caves, and much more.”

Despite her excitement, Sara also has some fears about the trip. “I am scared of getting really sick because [I have gotten] sick from travelling,” she said. “I don’t like long plane rides but going to Borneo is worth it.”

Borneo is just one of the few trips happening this year, however. English teacher Ryan Tyree and History teacher Allison Malinowski are leading the trip to California over Thanksgiving break. Last summer Tyree led a trip to the United Kingdom.

“In general, I love taking students everywhere,” he added. “I think this trip is going to feature a lot of new things.”

Having spent some time in California before, Tyree is excited to show students how different the west coast is.

“It is totally different in every way,” he said. “The culture, the weather, the houses, the food and the landscape in general; It’s almost like going to a whole other world.”

The trip includes visits to the original Disneyland, Hollywood Boulevard, Venice Beach, and The Griffith Observatory in the hills above Los Angeles.

The trip also offers visits to some of America’s most elite colleges such as University of California Los Angeles, Southern California, Santa Barbara, and Stanford. Tyree is particularly excited about visiting them because he has never seen the campuses before and believes students well be amazed at how different the colleges are compared to some on the east coast.

He is also excited about the Griffith Observatory because, “it is a very iconic venue and you see it included everywhere in movies, books and commercials. The view of Los Angeles is meant to be stunning and I have never been there before so I am looking forward to it.”