Counselors Travel on the Plane O’Fun
On Sunday, July 18th, 37 counselors set out for a week of intense learning, great professional development and a bit of fun. The 2010 tour started at North Central College. Enduring intense heat and humidity the group toured their campus, had a very nice admissions presentation and a great lunch. From there, counselors boarded a bus and headed to O’Hare airport. Surprisingly, all members of the group made it through security with no problem, got on the plane and shuffled off to Buffalo.
Bright and early Monday morning counselors boarded a bus to begin the New York portion of the trip; we saw eight schools in five days including: Rochester Institute of Technology, University of Rochester, Ithaca, Cornell, Syracuse, Hobart & William Smith, Colgate, and SUNY-Geneseo. A special thanks goes out to the University of Rochester and RIT for their generosity in splitting the cost of one of the nights in the hotel.
Slideshow of photos from the trip:
Highlights of this trip included a minor league baseball game in Rochester, a dinner cruise up the Erie Canal hosted by the University of Rochester, game night at the hotel, and a fantastic trip to Niagara Falls. In continuing the tradition started last year, counselors took up a collection on the bus to be donated to a charity chosen by the committee. This year we chose St. Jude Hospital in Memphis, which many of the counselors visited on our 2008 trip. We collected $500 which has been sent to St. Jude.
Overall the trip went very well. The schools were great, the weather cooperated, new friendships were made, and many old friendships were strengthened. Plans for next year’s Bus O’Fun trip are already underway. Since Summer Institute will be at Western Illinois University, we have decided to head west to visit schools in Nebraska and Kansas, with a stop or two in Iowa and/or Missouri.
Watch for further 2011 details on the IACAC website shortly after the first of the year.
Mike Dunker
Plane O’Fun Chair
Crystal Lake South High School
Video from the trip:
Thank you to Natalie Morris for filming and editing the video.
