The highlight of the year for many Carrollton fifth-graders is the annual trip to Savannah in the Spring.

Since 1997, Carrollton Middle School has been rewarding fifth-graders who exhibit good behavior all school year with a trip to Savannah. This year, 270 of the 350 fifth-graders qualified for the trip, and 195 are planning to attend the trip May 4-6, said Principal Trent North.

The school charters buses to transport the kids to and from the coastal city and takes them on a tour of some of the sights, he said.

“While we are in Savannah, we will visit Tybee Island,” North said. “For the first time, many kids have the opportunity to play in the ocean.”

They will also visit Fort Pulaski, have dinner at Paula Deen’s Lady and Sons restaurant and a luncheon at Vic’s on the River as well as enjoy a cruise with dinner and dance with a disc jockey. The group will stay at the Mulberry Inn - the equivalent of a four-star hotel, North said.

The students will also receive a T-shirt for their annual shopping trip along River Street.

Terri Musselwhite, a fifth-grade reading and language arts teacher who has chaperoned the trip a number of times, said the bright-colored shirts which are handed out the morning of the River Street walk, help the chaperones keep track of the children.

“Then we know who’s with us,” she said.

Musselwhite is one of about 25 adults who go on the trip to keep an eye on the students. Many of the fifth-grade teachers, the student teachers and the paraprofessionals go. No parents are allowed, North said.

Musselwhite said she loves going on the trip and has only missed a couple of years because of conflicts. It’s a great way to get to know the kids outside of school in a more laid-back atmosphere, she said.

“The whole experience is great,” Musselwhite said. “Watching the kids and being with them all weekend, you see a different side of them when you go off with them. And surprisingly, they tend to be a lot better off somewhere than they do at school.”

North agreed, adding he’s not sure if the kids or the teachers enjoy the trip more.

Each student pays $190 for the trip, but that doesn’t cover all the costs. About $8,000 is paid through a parent-teacher organization and money made by the school on in-school fund-raisers such as yearbook sales and ice cream days, he said.

There are always a few kids who want to go but can’t afford the trip who are sponsored.

“The Carrollton parent community, they’re very giving, and it is not uncommon for a parent to come up and say, ‘I’m going to pay for my child but I also want to pay for another deserving child,’” North said. “It’s important to know they are unsolicited.”

This year 21 students couldn’t afford the trip, and 15 of them were sponsored by other parents, he said. The others were paid for by the fund-raiser proceeds and the PTVO, he noted.

The students don’t think about the money; they think about the freedom of being away from parents and siblings and spending time with their friends.

“I was happy just to get away,” said Reicia North, 12, who went on the trip last year. “You could jump around and not get in trouble.”

Students listed different activities as their favorites, including a trip to a candy store where you could make your own candy, a ghost tour through the town and the cruise. While they take away many different memories of the trip, they especially enjoy spending time with their friends.

The students can request their roommates at the hotel, which makes the stay more memorable, said Emily Adams, 11.

“I had a room with my best friend,” she said. “If I had to room with someone I didn’t know, it wouldn’t be as fun.”