Logan OKs senior class trip to Alaska

The Logan School Board last week unanimously approved a senior class trip to Alaska in June, but not without some reservations and some stipulations for those graduates.

The Class of 2024’s journey on June 5-12 will include a cruise ship to Alaska, with air or driving stops in Denver, Seattle and Vancouver.

The estimated cost for the 18 seniors plus six adult chaperones, including the principal, will be $40,000. The class has raised more than $47,000.

The trip would take place after Logan High School’s graduation ceremony on Memorial Day weekend. The class hadn’t initially planned to take the trip that late, but the New Mexico Activities Association’s revamped calendar in the current school year contains no breaks between the state baseball and softball tournaments.

Superintendent Dennis Roch noted the student handbook requires senior trips to be taken before graduation.

The board held the option to waive that requirement, but several members said they were reluctant to set such a precedent.

“I don’t like the idea of a senior trip after graduation, honestly,” board President Laurie Strebeck said.

Athletic Director Billy Burns, one of the class sponsors, said the NMAA next year likely would revert to a calendar that brings back a break between the baseball and softball tournaments, giving the next senior class a window of time for its trip.

“I don’t see this having to happen every year,” he said, adding it is a well-behaved senior class. “I wouldn’t ask this if this group couldn’t handle it.”

Burns said each person on the ship is given an entry card to all areas that tells operators their age, effectively barring the teens from accessing areas that sell alcohol or offer gambling.

Senior class member Brock Burns said his cohorts had been dreaming of an Alaska trip since seventh grade, describing it as a “once-in-a-lifetime” experience.

The Class of 2024 cannot take its Alaska trip during spring break because it isn’t offered that early in the year.

Strebeck asked class spokeswoman Camryn Cantrell whether the seniors trusted each other to behave so far from home. Cantrell said she was confident they would “hold each other accountable.”

Strebeck then asked parents in the audience whether they had any reservations about the trip. None did.

Board member Toby Willis made the motion to approve the Alaska trip with the stipulation of a behavioral contract and the option of withholding diplomas if bad acts occur.

The motion passed unanimously, prompting a smattering of applause.

In other business:

— The board approved grants of $50,000 and $100,000 from the New Mexico Public School Facilities Authority.

Roch said the smaller grant is earmarked for school security improvements. The larger grant is meant for general maintenance and repairs.

He said the $50,000 wouldn’t cover the most of the security upgrades, so he recommended using part of the $100,000 for that, as well. The remainder, he said, would be used for maintenance.

— The board approved a change in the school calendar that removes a Jan. 19 professional development day in Portales and adds one on Oct. 13 in Logan.

— The board approved a transportation contract addendum that reflects mileage changes for a route on the northern edge of the district.