Class Trip » Class Trip 2026

Class Trip 2026

Founding Fathers East Coast Trip

The 8th grade Class of 2026 is invited to take a 7-day 6-night trip with the Palms staff for the Founding Fathers East Coast Tour during the week of Spring Recess in the Spring 2026 semester.

Departure Date: Saturday, March 28, 2026

Return Date: Friday, April 3, 2026

TourCenter ID: Palms-2026

The tour is run by the Explorica educational travel service, with Palms teachers as chaperones. There is at least one adult for each 9 students. The trip is not sponsored by Palms or by LAUSD.

The trip is for students and teachers only, not for parents, not even as chaperones.

Download slides from May 7, 2025 Informational Meeting:

Students Will Visit...

Boston

  • Old North Church
  • Paul Revere's House
  • Old Granary Burial Ground
  • Boston Common
  • King's Chapel
  • Old State House
  • Faneuil  Hall (dinner)
  • Fenway Park
  • Museum of Fine Arts
  • USS Constitution "Old Ironsides"
  • Harvard Museum of Natural History
  • Harvard Square

New York

  • Apollo Theater
  • Empire State Building & Observatory
  • Ellis Island
  • Statue of Liberty
  • Trinity Church
  • Wall Street
  • Chinatown
  • Little Italy
  • 9/11 Memorial
  • Times Square

Philadelphia

  • Independence Hall
  • Liberty Bell
  • Ben Franklin's grave
  • Elfreth's Alley
  • Friendship Meeting House
  • National Constitution Center

Washington DC

  • Mount Vernon
  • National Museum of African American History and Culture
  • World War II Memorial
  • Lincoln Memorial
  • Vietnam Veterans Memorial
  • Korean War Memorial
  • National Mall
  • Tidal Basin
  • Washington Monument
  • White House
  • Arlington National Cemetery
  • Iwo Jima Marine Corps War Memorial
  • Ford's Theatre

Registration

You can sign up once registration opens.

Expected discounted early registration deadline: May 18, 2025

Regular registration deadline: Fall 2025 or when we reach trip capacity

Ways to sign up

1. Go to the Sign-up page and enter Palms-2026.

2. Fill out and mail the Flights travel registration form.

3. Register by phone: 1-888-310-7121

Capacity

There is a practical limit to the number of students that can be taken on the trip and space fills up quickly. Students will be chosen by lottery. Once the initial cap is reached, a waiting list will be available. If enough students sign up for the waiting list, we can reopen registration and take additional students.

This year's capacity: 43 students

Once capacity is reached, contact Ms. Arevelo to be added to the waiting list. The capacity may be increased. For example, a student who attended another school for 7th grade didn't get a chance to sign-up in the Spring.

Eligibility

Eligibility is based on the rules for Eighth Grade Eligibility as of the Fall semester 20-week report card. Students must not have any U's in Cooperation.

The Travel Protection Plan Plus travel insurance plan will cover students who are unable to take the trip because they do not meet these eligibility requirements. The standard Travel Protection Plan does not cover this possibility.

Cost

The cost for the 2026 trip is $3,330 per student, if purchased by May 18, 2025. The price may rise (perhaps by about $60) after May 18. The payment deadline is June 10, 2025.

The price covers:

  • round-trip transportation
  • 6 overnight stays in hotels
  • lodging, 3 or 4 students to a room (or just 1 other student for an extra nightly fee)
  • tours and tourguides
  • security
  • meals and meal expenses
  • tips
  • trip diary on the Explorica website (also on the Palms website)

The price does not include:

  • travel insurance (see below)
  • souvenirs
  • airline baggage fees

Students share rooms with 2 or 3 other students of the same sex. For an extra fee, a student can share with just one other student of the same sex.

Minimum cost, with early registration and no extras: $3,330. The cost will be higher with later registration, room sharing with only one other student, and a Travel Protection Plan.

Payment Plans

Three payment plans are offered with no extra fees:

  1. Pay $3,330 in full at registration time.
  2. Pay a $50 deposit at registration time and 9 monthly payments of $364.44, for a total of $3,329.96.
  3. Pay a $99 deposit at registration time, another $150 30 days after your registration is processed, and the balance by December 23, 2025 (95 days prior to departure).

See below for optional choice of travel protection plan, at extra cost, due with your first payment above.

Scholarships

A few scholarships are provided by Friends of Palms, to be announced in Fall 2025. Student applicants must provide a teacher recommendation and write an essay for the Lisa Clark Scholarship Contest by the deadline.

Scholarship application deadline:
October 2025

Announcement of scholarship recipients:
November 2025

Typically, two full scholarships are awarded, plus some small partial scholarships to defray trip costs. The awards will be announced before the Thanksgiving break.

Each student's essay should tell who they you, what inspires them, if they have traveled before, several reasons why they want to go to the cities on the trip, specific sites they want to see, what they hope to gain from the sights, why they need financial aid, and the behavior that trip leaders and fellow students would expect from you on the trip.

Essays are read, evaluated, and winners chosen by Palms Middle School staff and Friends of Palms.

Scholarship Winners

Two full scholarships and two partial scholarships will be awarded by Friends of Palms.

Travel Insurance

Optional travel insurance, payable with your initial deposit, provides protection against trip cancellation.

Travel Protection Plan: $84

Covers injury, sickness, death of a family member, bad-weather flight cancelations, lost luggage, and a few other conditions.

Travel Protection Plan Plus: $126

Also covers cancellation for any reason, with a partial refund, 30 days or more before the trip.

See travel plan details at the Explorica website.

Reasons Not to Sign Up

  • The student is not available on the designated dates.
  • The student is not interested in taking the trip.
  • The student has anxiety or apprehension about the trip.
  • The student is afraid of heights (being in tall buildings) or boat trips.
  • The student would not be able to walk throughout the day.
  • The student would not be able to handle seven long days of activity.
  • The student would not be comfortable sharing a bedroom with other students.
  • The cost of the trip is prohibitive for your family.

See Also

See the Class Trip page for general information.

See the Class Trip Journals section for day-by-day descriptions and photos from previous Class Trips.

Trip Organizer