By Martha Jacob –

It’s not unusual for high school students to plan field trips. And it’s not unusual for them to pay their own way to participate in the field trip.
The Spanish students at Ripley-Union-Lewis-Huntington High School are currently holding fundraisers of all kinds in preparation of an educational trip to Puerto Rico scheduled for June of 2017.
With the help of their community the students hope to raise all the funds they will need to completely pay for trip, according to Ripley’s Spanish teacher Linda Douglas.
This Saturday, on July 2, the students have planned a “Car Wash” which will be set up at the RULH Elementary School,” Douglas said. “We want to invite everyone to stop by and have their car washed for a donation. All proceeds will go towards our trip to Puerto Rico.”
Other events planned by the students include a ‘Bouncy House’, a bake sale, a raffle and T-shirts at the Lion’s Club Celebration in Ripley on June 30 to July 2 and Quarter Auction scheduled for Friday, July 15 at 6 p.m. in the Ripley Lifesquad building. Hamburgers, hot dogs and pork tenderloins will be available.
“This trip to Puerto Rico next year will be the trip of a lifetime for these students,” Douglas said. “It’s going to be a 7-day tour through the island.
“We will be visiting many historical landmarks including the only tropical rainforest on United States soil, the El Yunque National Forest.”
El Yungue National forest is made up of nearly 29,000 acres and is one of the smallest in size, but also one of them most biologically diverse of all the national forests. It hosts hundreds of animals and plant species, some of which are found only in its forest.
“We will be visiting a coffee plantation, caverns and several beaches,” Douglas said. “The kids will be hiking, boating, swimming and snorkeling with a couple of cooking and dancing lessons thrown in.”
Douglas said the students will be experiencing a different culture and get plenty of practice using the Spanish language.
“We would like to invite everyone out to support these students,” she said. “This is a great educational adventure.”
Donations may be made to the Spanish Boosters c/o RULH High School.