From November 6-10, 2019, the seniors and four faculty/staff chaperones, including Mrs. Elizabeth Kearns, senior class moderator and Mathematics Department chair; Mrs. Alice Rogers, assistant principal - students; Mrs. Cori Tucker, mathematics teacher; and Mrs. Lauren Tereshko, science teacher, stayed at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort.

While we have been taking seniors on a special class trip since 2010 to places like Bush Gardens and Hershey Park, this is the first trip in recent history to Walt Disney World. Members of the IHA group visited the four major parks including Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios. Before heading home, the girls attended Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe—a wonderful end to a memorable senior trip.

Both Catherine Thomas’20 and Emma Matesic’20 agreed that the trip fell at the perfect time—post the November 1 college application deadline and giving them a much-needed break from their regular course load and other activities. 

“I think it is a good idea for IHA to offer trips like this to the senior class because it is a great opportunity for the seniors to grow closer and bond before we leave IHA,” Catherine said. “My favorite memory from the trip was going on Tower of Terror with all of the teacher chaperones!”

Emma said her favorite parts of the trip were the many rollercoasters she rode, hanging out with her friends, eating, and exploring. “I think it's great for IHA to offer trips like this,” she said, “because after a hard three years and a difficult start to senior year with college applications and such, it’s nice to have the opportunity to go to Florida and be able to mentally relax and celebrate all of our accomplishments as a class in a setting outside of school.”

Mrs. Kearns said the benefits of the IHA senior trip were two-fold: it introduced students to traveling without family members, and it served as the first of many farewells to their high school years.

“This is a valuable learning experience for our students,” she said. “They get to travel with friends, yet still have adult supervision in case of emergencies; learning to become independent and traveling with friends rather than family is the beginning of celebrating the entrance into adulthood. And as senior year is the final chapter to their high school life, the senior trip is an important way to close out their journey and prep them for the freedoms and responsibilities they will have in college.”

Click here for a full photo album from the trip!