Middle School Travel Opportunities

Bringing the world to students and students to the world!

Penn-Harris-Madison believes there is immense value in enhancing students’ understanding and comprehension of globalization and history through experiential learning opportunities. Annually, we offer one week trips at the end of the school year to Washington, D.C. for 8^th graders. Every other Spring Break we offer one week immersion trips to China through our cultural exchange program with Lishan school district in Anshan, China. Qualified middle school students also have the opportunity to travel to Europe every other summer visiting historical sites during our curriculum based trip. All of these travel opportunities are open to students from all three of our middle schools (Discovery, Grissom and Schmucker).

The safety of our students and staff is the number one priority for P-H-M, that is what we partner with the EF Educational Tours for our China and European trips. As our trusted educational partner, P-H-M has conducted numerous tours with EF. The company has more than 50 years of experience providing a 24/7 Tour Director who is able to connect with a local EF office present in 53 countries around the world.

Europe Summer 2018 Trip

The 10-day-trip trip planned for the summer of 2018 is scheduled to depart June 25 and return July 4, 2018. Students will visit historic sites in Germany, Italy & Switzerland. This trip will provide an opportunity for students to take the knowledge and standards they gain in the classroom and connect it to the real world. The trip is designed to align with the Social Studies sixth, seventh and eighth grade standards that focused on western civilization, world religions, exploration, scientific revolution and the enlightenment periods. World War II and the Holocaust will also be studied when the children are in Germany. Click here to see the full travel itinerary.

Trip enrollment is going on right now! If you are interested in having your child participate, please email Mr. Kevin McMillen or Mrs. Sheryl Harper for details. Students must be in good discipline standing.

If you missed the previous parent meetings, you can get more trip details by viewing the Google Slide show by clicking here.

China Spring 2019 Trip

One of the many educational value adds that Penn-Harris-Madison students have a chance to encounter are travel abroad experiential learning opportunities. Every other spring break, students from all three middle schools (Discovery, Grissom and Schmucker) are given the amazing chance to travel to China. P-H-M Discovery Middle School Principal Sheryll Harper established the exchange program with Lishan school district in Anshan, China in 2008, trips began in 2009. The next trip is planned for March 27 – April 4, 2019.

The curriculum based immersion trip engrosses the students in Chinese culture during the one week plus trip. The curriculum was developed by P-H-M educators and meets Indiana state Social Studies educational standards. It is well timed and coordinates to when the middle school students are studying ancient and modern day China in their Social Studies classes.

And for the first time ever, the P-H-M Education Foundation is making available two (2), $2,500 travel grants enabling two (2) qualified current P-H-M 6th and 7th grade students for participation in the Spring 2019 Middle School China Immersion Trip. Please click here to download a pdf copy of the grant description, criteria, application process and acceptance of terms. Applications are being accepted now!

If you are interested in having your child participate, please email Mr. James Howard or Mrs. Sheryl Harper for details. Students must be in good discipline standing.

Enrollment for this trip will open soon. Stay tuned for more information about upcoming parent and student information meetings.

Washington, DC 8^th Grade Trip Spring 2018

Each year 8th graders from all three middle schools travel to Washington, D.C. and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania at the end of May for a week long national history field trip! Our students tour the nation’s capital by boot, bus, and boat, taking in monuments and museums. If that isn’t enough, students charge the battlefields of Gettysburg before we make our way home. This is an incredible opportunity for our students and is a memory-making experience to conclude their study of U.S. history.

Each school handles the trip as a school field trip, so please visit the Discovery, Grissom and Schmucker websites individually to view more detailed information about each school’s specific trip.