Schools not only teach through class, but give students opportunities to learn outside of class too. It can be through extracurriculars or homework, but one key way this is done is through field trips. So what kind of field trips does Prairie provide? And how do students feel about them?

A lot of field trips are done for community service or good acts. For example, Prairie consistently does a service trip to the Senior Center where certain students are chosen by Staff or Teachers to teach those older and less experienced about technology, whether it be something specific or certain problems. This is just one kind of service opportunity of the many Prairie has for its students.

Students, in general, enjoy these activities. “I think they’re a really good opportunity,” Sophomore Addison Juhnke, a participant of the recurring senior service trips, said in regards to her opinions on field trips. “To get out of class and experience, like, more real life experiences. That will teach you, like, what it’s like in the real world, you know?”

Other field trips can be used to prepare students for their academic futures. There are consistent trips to Clark College campuses, for one example. Other examples include trips to Technical schools, like Cascadia Tech. It helps introduce students to different opportunities they have with their future, and guides them to a job that they will enjoy.

Students also gain and appreciate these trips just as much. “I was able to go there and learn lots about the program that I wanted to participate in,” Sophomore Brody Judkins, a participant of the Cascadia Tech field trip and future Cascadia Tech student, said in regards to what he liked about his field trip experience. “And I was able to get early access to the program itself.”

Overall, Field trips to a majority of students who participate in them are a fun and educational way to escape the sometimes repetitive classroom and see new environments, help people, or learn for your future. It is one of many ways students can gain outside of a traditional class environment, and is effective in the goal it was made for.