On November 18, the Upper School Office announced via email the junior Discovery Week trips: New York, Utah, and West Virginia. A week prior, the senior international trips were released. Along with the new selection of trips, the emails included a revised system for students to rank their trip preferences. 

Last year, to sign up for their preferred Discovery Week trip, students waited anxiously for the SignUpGenius forms to go live and hoped their WiFi would not let them down, only for some to end up with their last-choice trip. For Emmabella B.-M. ’25 and many other students, the SignUpGenius forms felt like “a race to see who can get their trip,” which raised many concerns about equity and fairness. 

Instead, this year, Assistant Director of Upper School Ms. Kerri Epps, who oversees Discovery Week, implemented a ranked-choice system to resolve the “first-come, first-served” issue with SignUpGenius forms. She discussed with Director of Equity Mr. Ian Tatum to give “everyone a chance to review the descriptions, and then have a week to think about the trips they want to do, and during that week, rank their trip.” That way, students can have more time to think about their options and feel less pressured to compete for spots immediately. Students will be assigned to the trips based on their ranked preferences through a double-randomized selection to ensure fairness.

“I definitely think [it is] better,” said Ximena A. ’25, when asked about her thoughts on the ranked forms. “I know a friend who had a ton of time [to choose her trip options], but because of the WiFi…she didn’t get the option she wanted.” 

However, SignUpGenius forms were not the only change. Costs have risen up for both the international and domestic trips, with senior trips estimated to cost about $4000–$4500 and junior trips around $2500–$3000 in an email sent out from the Upper School Office. While the exact costs are not yet available, juniors and seniors could pay an extra $500 and $1000 respectively than students from previous years. This year’s increase would be an additional cost on top of the $500 increase in 2023 from 2022.

Upper School Mandarin Teacher Ms. Annie Choi is one of the teachers leading the juniors’ New York trip. She expected trips to be more expensive this year because “if we want to do something more unique, we definitely have to spend a little bit more money, so [students] have the [best possible] experience.”

Sydney S. ’25 said that “it is more expensive to travel abroad, and I think it just comes naturally.” However, with Discovery Week as a graduation requirement, Sydney said that being required to pay more money “doesn’t quite sit right with me.”

Ms. Epps explained that planning international trips during the global inflation is challenging, especially with the need to make them financially accessible for students. Financial aid is still available, with the goal being that every student attends a trip without financial limitations. 

Even though costs have gone up, Ms. Epps assured that the Upper School Office is “hoping as a school, [they] can support anyone who needs extra assistance and to ensure that [the students] all get to go on these trips.”