Last summer a group of lucky Lakeview students were invited to go on the trip of a lifetime.

The select group of excited juniors and seniors along with their trusty chaperone,  Lakeview math  teacher Heidi Monroe, departed from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport on July 18th, 2019.

The trip was scheduled to be 2 weeks long and took the group to three countries.

Their plane first left for Australia, which was close to a 24 hour flight all together, including stopping to switch planes in Texas and New Zealand.

Lakeview senior Madison Harvey made a lot of great memories on the trip, but says that her best memory was from Australia.

“Snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef. It was exotic and beautiful with a touch of thrill. There are many memories that happened that I will carry on with me for the rest of my life,” said Harvey.

But the adventure did not stop there; seven days later the group left for New Zealand where they spent another five days exploring.

In new Zealand the students experienced plenty of exotic scenery and foods that they have never tried before.

Senior Isaac Russo said that the trip was once in a lifetime and that he loved the country of New Zealand. Russo said that his best memory of the trip occurred when, “We made our way to the top of the highest mountains in New Zealand.”

“After going on a giant seafood buffet, we made our way to the Go-Kart track called the Luge. Everyone in our group raced down the mountain while looking at the beautiful scenery and we rode the ski-lift to do it all over again. It was a blast to enjoy what New Zealand has to offer and appreciate as a culture,” Russo said.

To finish off the trip, the group made it to Hawaii for a short 3 days.

“Those three days flew by like three hours,” said Senior Laura Garvin.

Garvin also noted that, “We learned a lot about the original Hawaiian culture from someone directly out of their lineage and how their lives are impacted by tourism and it was a really cool three days.”

After arriving back home to see their families on July 7th, the students are very thankful to Monroe and her husband for organizing and chaperoning this opportunity that allowed a group of teenagers an early opportunity to check off bucket list activities that many people only dream of.