Students explore before they travel

If you hit a "sleeping policeman" in England, it's okay; it's just the Englishman's name for a speed bump. Of all the countries in Europe, England's workweek is the longest, about 48 hours, although they get on average a four-week vacation. French workers get a whopping 31 days of vacation and have the shortest workweek, just 35 hours. But before you pack it up to move to France, practice your table manners and always arrive on time.

These are a few of the things Central Oregon's People to People ambassadors learned by exploring on paper and on the Internet about the countries they are visiting in July: France, England, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

Three of those students are Sisters High School students Walker Martin, Remington Bruce and Lauren White.

They'll be wearing their People to People T-shirts when traveling; no shorts, no open-toed shoes, no sweats, no denim. They must not only act like ambassadors, they must look the part.

Students have been raising funds for the trip for six months, and each had their own unique fundraising techniques.

"I saved all my money," said Walker Martin, "collected cans and asked my grandparents for donations."

Remington Bruce traveled with the People to People program two years ago making him the only veteran on the trip.

"I collected used cell phones and even a couple old laptops and sold them through Internet sites," Bruce said.

He, like all the Sisters students, volunteered at Fryrear landfill for Fire Free Day, helping people unload their yard debris.

Students can earn high school credits for the trip if they have completed all the tests, the pre-travel requirements, and attended all the meetings.

They can also get from one to five college credits for everything from photojournalism to history or geography. They still have to pay for the credits, but those credits cost a fraction of the price of normal college credits.

July 2 is the big day, departing from Portland with the return July 16, with travel journals full of stories about beautiful landscapes, historic sites, and artistic vistas. The well-traveled Sisters High School students will be able to boast visiting four European countries and seeing some world history first hand.

In London they will get to see the changing of The Guard at Buckingham Palace.

"They will miss the Fourth of July by not being at home," said teacher/chaperone Dave Glick. "Usually we try to do something to celebrate while we're away, such as American flags on our bus or little sparklers, but we may forego that this year since we'll be in England."

Students will travel the slow boat across the English Channel.

"There are two ways to cross the channel," said Glick, "and we are taking the slower boat and spending the night on board before landing on Omaha Beach."

There they will see the 9,387 white markers honoring the American soldiers who died in the Normandy campaign of World War II.

As the students travel across Europe they will revisit many of the sites of World War I and World War II and in Holland will visit the home where Anne Frank hid from the Nazis.

Parents will not be left out of this journey. Chaperones will keep parents posted about their travels and students will keep a daily journal to share with friends and family upon returning home.