Photos submitted by Clay County School Global Studies Choice Based Program Director Ginger Scerri Four of the Hayesville High School students who plan to visit Scotland are, from left, Abigail McClure, Emillia Lackey, Grace Gibson and kneeling is Ann Gibson.
By Lorrie Ross
Staff Writer
In a little over four months,19 Hayesville teens and adult chaperons may have the travel experience of a lifetime. The Clay County Global Studies Program plans to travel to Scotland from June 10 through June 18. Unfortunately, the $4,200 cost of the trip is unattainable for many of the students’ families.
Program co-director, Hayesville Middle School teacher Ginger Scerri said, “We have high set standards for these 19 students to get to go, including behavior and academic requirements they must maintain throughout the school year,” In addition, each student has written an essay and created a video giving their own reasons. Our newspaper has run portions of 14 student essays. This week, we bring you the last five.
Braiden Tanner has been part of the school sponsored Global Studies Program for two years. The eighth grader shared what he is excited about, “I know this trip will be something I can hold onto for the rest of my life. I hope to learn all about their history and culture. I also hope to learn what it’s like being out of the country. I can’t wait to see if we dress the same, what they eat, how they go from one place to another, hear their music, see the Highland Games and learn all about their myths and legends. This trip means so much to me and I can’t believe I am actually getting to go.
Tenth grader Abigail McClure is grateful to travel abroad for the first time. “I want to learn from the culture, the people and the history of Scotland,” she said. “I see this experience changing the way I see the world. I am particularly looking forward to visiting Edinburgh, the house of Robert Louis Stevenson, visiting historic landmarks, participating and seeing the Highland Games. As an avid reader and passionate writer, visiting the house of Scottish novelist and poet, Robert Burns, would be a dream come true. I believe this trip will be a cool experience to breathe in Scotland’s rich and long-lasting history. I am ecstatic to get to walk around these new cities and take in the beauty and history of Scotland this summer.”
Freshman Emillia Lackey has been involved in the program for three years and is counting the days for Scotland on her calendar, “The enrichment opportunities are endless. Its ability to positively impact my life on a personal level are also countless. I want to learn how other cultures live and how they thrive in their environment. I will get first hand knowledge that there is more than western North Carolina; thus helping me understand diversity and inclusivity in a broader perspective, which in turn will change me for the better.”
Lackey continued, “My maternal side of the family is strongly connected to Scotland in the Glasgow area, specifically Renfrewshire. We have traced Clan Caldwell back to the 1300’s with the first Caldwell going to America in the 1790’s. This trip to Scotland would not only serve as an educational experience but an emotional and personal journey as well.”
Grace and Ann Gibson are twins and the second set of sisters making the trip. Grace shared her excitement about the trip.”Every chance to travel internationally is an opportunity worth taking, but traveling to Scotland is a place I feel would be especially beneficial for many reasons,” she said. “I would have the opportunity to learn the history and people that bleeds into the ancestry and culture of the very area we live in . The fraternal side of my family has Scottish roots and ancestry, so I have a special connection and interest to learning the Scottish people’s history. I also believe traveling internationally changes a person’s mindset and outlook on the world around them. I feel traveling to different countries can also give a deeper gratitude for everyday things we have as American citizens and it can help you strive to make your home country a better place.”
Grace added, “Many of my family members have wanted to go to Scotland and I would love to bring back knowledge, pictures and pieces of Scottish culture for them. As a sophomore, I am beginning to plan for my future. This includes college as well as hopes for an occupation. Many colleges and universities offer study abroad programs, which I am interested in exploring. Through this trip, I will be able to explore future occupations that could take me into the world. This is an amazing perspective broadening experience I can’t believe I have been given.”
Ann shared, “This incredible opportunity will be a positive, enriching and eye-opening way for us to see a different part of the world we would never see otherwise. North Carolina has one of the highest percentages of Scottish and Scotch-Irish descent in the country, so many of our traditions originate from Scotland. I can’t wait to learn more about what we do here and how it is connected to what they still do in Scotland. My family is Scottish so I can’t wait to learn more about where my family came from in the months leading up to this trip.”
She continued, “I am excited about learning Scottish folklore and history. It is going to be amazing to see buildings and communities older than our country and experience what are everyday common things to them that I have never experienced while living in Hayesville. Simple things like the metro or being able to walk wherever we go will be neat to experience. I can’t put into words how thankful I am our directors are taking us on their own time for an experience like this.”
Clay County Schools released this statement: “Although Ginger Scerri and Michelle Calascione’s Global Studies GearUP program is a school group with Clay County Schools, throughout the school year, this trip is not affiliated with our school system, for funding and liability reasons. However, our school system is excited to see an experiential learning opportunity take place for these students on these teachers’ own time with students who qualify with their academic and behavioral expectations.”
All student essays and videos can be seen at: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553955034542.
Direct donation options for Global Scotland trip are:
• SECU.
• GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/global-studies-program-trip-to-scotland-june-2024.
Email Ginger Scerri: gingerbuchananscerri@gmail.com.