POCATELLO — Pocatello High School senior Lizzie Hansen isn’t passing up the opportunity to be part of an inaugural trip.

    Hansen’s mother, Mary Anne McGrory, is coordinating an upcoming Washington D.C. area expedition called the ACE Tour.

    All eighth and ninth grade students in the Pocatello/Chubbuck area are eligible to go.

    “A trip like this brings people together,” Hansen says. “Classmates that you didn’t know very well, you end up becoming good friends with by the end of the trip. It’s an adventure.”

    The five-day tour will take place during spring break of 2013. McGrory is currently in the process of finalizing the itinerary.

    Even though the tour is centered around the country’s capital, stops will also be made in Williamsburg, Jamestown and Gettysburg.

    “It just becomes a big USA family trip kind of atmosphere,” McGrory says, who served as a chaperone representing Irving Middle School on the American Heritage Tour in the past. “I love to see the excitement on their face. I am committed to giving my students the ultimate learning experience.”

    The eighth grade geography and Holocaust history teacher at Irving says she was asked to provide students with an alternative trip.

    “It’s a shorter trip that costs less (when compared to the American Heritage Tour),” McGrory says. “Plus, students can earn high school credits by going.”

    The deadline to sign up is Nov. 15.

    “This trip is like the opportunity of a lifetime,” says Lisa Baker, a chaperone. “They get to travel back East and hear historical stories and get to see where it took place. It gave me chills when I stood in the spot where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous speech. We pass out cards and recite the speech right there where the speech was given.”

    Baker is a special education teacher at Irving Middle School.

    “This experience has given me the chance to interact with students outside of the special needs section,” Baker says. “In turn, it allows the teenagers to get to know my students. It’s a neat exchange.”

    McGrory hopes the ACE Trip will continue on for years to come.

    “I love traveling with the kids. Especially, the ones who have never been on a plane before. They have so much to look at and take in,” McGrory concludes.

    There is no limit on how many students can sign up. This includes those who attend the following: Charter schools, private schools and home school. Parents are welcome to attend.

    Scholarships are available, as well as fundraising opportunities.

    For more information send an e-mail to acetour2013@gmail.com or dial (208) 380-2288.