Gillett board tentatively OKs Ireland trip

The Gillett School Board has given its tentative approval for a student trip to Ireland during the summer of 2026.

The proposal was brought to the board by agriculture teacher Jacob Timm during its Nov. 21 monthly meeting.

Timm is working with EF Travel, a company that partners with schools to provide a variety of educational tours. The company sponsored a foreign exchange student who lived with Timm’s family when he himself was a middle school student in Gillett.

“Agriculture is not just a United States thing. With this we’d be showing students what opportunities are out there through global agriculture,” Timm told the board. “That’s something I really want to bring into the program and stress to the students that while Gillett is great, there’s also opportunities outside of Gillett.”

The trip would expose students to different cultures and give them a look at the operation of Ireland’s horse, dairy and cattle farms, Timm said. Over 10 days, the group would visit Dublin, the Killkenny region and Galway, touring historic sites and immersing themselves in the country’s agriculture.

As a bonus, “some of the scenes in ‘Game of Thrones’ were actually filmed at some of the locations in Galway, kind of cool for students to see them in a different light,” Timm said.

The board was generally receptive to Timm’s proposal, although board member Cliff Gerbers said he wants to see if parents sign off on the idea.

“Before I vote on this, I want to see what the parents think,” Gerbers said. “They really have the last word.”

Timm said he plans to hold an informational session for parents in December. EF Travel requires a minimum of six students to stage a tour, and about 20 eighth graders and a number of freshmen and sophomores have already expressed an interest.

With a price tag of $4,089 per student, realistically Timm hopes to bring six to 12 students along. One of the reasons for the early notice was to give the youth time for fundraising efforts.

On Gerbers’ motion, board members approved the trip subject to results of the parents meeting and a commitment from interested parents.

wbluhm@newmedia-wi.com