Whatever happened to class trips to the museum?

A weeklong trip to Lebanon will not seem real to Wausau East High School students until they board an airplane Saturday.

Really to Lebanon? Apparently these are International Baccalaureate (IB) students who’ve been provided this opportunity by the US Embassy in Beirut.

The trip’s origin actually began in the Embassy with Richard Michaels, a cultural affairs officer and 1992 IB graduate from Wausau East. Michaels obtained a grant to fund the trip through the U.S. State Department.

I find this quite interesting because I’m an IB graduate from Sagesse High School, which is also the school they will be spending time at.

Sightseeing is only part of the students’ itinerary. They will visit five schools, including a full day of classes at Sagesse High School. IB students from the school, which is in a Beirut suburb, chatted with Wausau East students via videoconference last year.

I would have liked to head to another country when I was in high school. Instead my high school (Sagesse High School) took us to a beer factory and cigarette manufacturing plant. The good news is that the cigarette company gave us free samples!

Update – March 5, 2009: Lebanon trip opens eyes, dispels myths for Wausau East students
Update – March 9, 2009: Local high school students return from Lebanon
Update – March 30, 2009:
Wausau School Board committee members to hear details of February Lebanon trip