School Superintendent Nathan Greenberg told the school board that a field trip request made by varsity female outdoor track coach Suzanne Johnson would not meet the needs of the students, so it was being changed.
“Basically we’re asking the board to affirm a change of location and activity on a previously approved field trip,” he told the board Tuesday, March 18. “As the board knows, we try to do all the overnight (field trips) in the fall. This came up recently and Suzanne feels that this would be a better opportunity for the students and because of the change in location and activity, we felt it was necessary to bring it forward to the board.”
The trip will take place Friday night through Sunday, April 4-6, with no school time missed, and is a retreat at Danforth Bay in Freedom. Its purpose is to develop a bond among the varsity team members and to develop leadership skills with the upperclassmen. Training practice and free time are built in for the teammates to get to know each other.
“The cost is $50 and I’m guessing Mom and Dad will be paying it or they will be paying for it themselves,” Johnson said.
Greenberg said the mini-bus would be made available, “so I don’t think there will be any transportation cost for the kids.”
Johnson said the traditional team trip in the spring for the varsity athletes is the Loucks Meet in New York.
“There is a schedule conflict with the Freshmen-Sophomore Meet,” Johnson said. “We feel strongly our younger athletes should be focused on the Freshman-Sophomore Meet and our older athletes usually are there supporting them. Other open weekends in our schedule for an overnight trip conflict with vacation week and the prom. This seemed like something the kids really wanted to do that might work for us.”
The board voted unanimously to approve the trip.
According to a memo provided in the agenda, all junior and senior team members and any underclassmen who were varsity level Division 1 qualifiers on the Londonderry High School female track and field team from the LHS spring 2013 season and from the 2013-14 Indoor Season are invited, a maximum of 32 student athletes.
A minimum of four adult chaperones will attend, all coaches of the LHS Girls’ Track and Field Team: Suzanne Johnson, Ed Burgess, Amy Sanborn, and Neil Baroody.