Judy Dorr is looking forward to having some fun with some of her students.

On May 10 she’ll be taking 12 eighth grade students to Florida for an educational adventure in the Florida Keys and Everglades.

Dorr has been teaching computer technology for the last 15 years. Before that she taught science for 16 years.

World Strides is the educational program that organizes trips like the one Dorr and her students will be taking. This particular program is called Splash into Science. It's not her first experience with taking groups of students to far-away places.

“Back in the '90s I took fourth graders on this trip,” she said. “For most it was their first time away from home.”

The teacher said she enjoys taking the students out into the community to experience real life. “That's how I have taught over the years I've been here.”

Dorr said that the program that World Strides offers is “pricey, but it's wonderful.”

The students will learn about the ecosystems of the Everglades. They’ll go to a turtle sanctuary to see how injured or sick sea turtles are rehabilitated, they'll swim with dolphins and snorkel on a coral reef in the Florida Keys. And there will be a night tour through the Everglades.

Everything is planned and the entire itinerary is all laid out before they go. And it comes with a price. Around $27,000, or $2,200 per student. “The parents had to commit to paying for it,” she said. “We started a year ago last May, and I told the parents I'd do everything I could to help fundraise.” Parents of the participants have been making monthly payments toward the program.

Dorr said probably the biggest contribution came from the refreshment stands at the basketball games this year. “That alone raised around $300 per game.” The group also had an auction, wood raffles, and a carnival, and raised money at a pancake breakfast during Harbor Fest.

“It's a great bunch of kids going,” Dorr said. “I can't wait.” “I'm looking forward to seeing how this trip goes, before I decide to do another one before I retire. But the fundraising has been a beast. It’s a lot more expensive now than when I did it in 1996.”

The four days will be jam-packed, Dorr said. “We'll be going from morning to night.”

Dorr is hoping to do something different on this trip. “We want to Facetime to school on one of the days we're there. We're going to try to do it from the turtle sanctuary.”

“I'm thrilled,” she said. “It's a piece of education that I wish we could offer to every child. It touches them and for me it's a different kind of relationship I can build with children, and it's something they'll never forget. It's something that will always be a part of their hearts.”

Along with the 12 students will be four adults on the trip – fourth grade teacher Kathy Hartley, Amy Blake Goodwin, Jeannie Godfrey and Dorr.

If anyone would like to make a donation they can send checks made out to BRES (in the memo, list Splash into Science) and mail to 238 Townsend Avenue, Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538.