For five Cherokee County students, there was no break from the daily grind of school work this summer.

Local students Matthew Archie, Joseph Lindsay, Ashley Hemphill, Latrivius Morris and Tamara Morris recently returned home from the Godparents Youth Organization (GYO) summer trip, which took them to many of the nation's historic sites and cities. While many of their peers spent time doing one of many leisurely activities like swimming at Irene Pool or simply enjoying each other's company, the students found their eyes stuck to a copy of The Purpose Driven Life, daily entering what they learned into a journal that was to be turned in at the end of the day.

It was tough missing many of the things that had become staples in their summer schedule, but it's doubtful any of them would have traded in their experience for the world.

Local students Matthew Archie, Ashley Hemphill, Joseph Lindsay, Tamara Morris and Latrivius Morris recently completed the trip of a lifetime as part of the Los Angeles, Calif., based Godparents Youth Organization (GYO).

GYO, which was formed by Los Angeles bus driver Tanya Walters, has annually taken at-risk students from several locales across the country on a bus trip, giving them a different look at the country as well as another view of themselves.

"There's no doubt I'm going to take many things I learned this summer with me to school," said local student Latrivius Morris. "I want all of my friends to see the change in me and, hopefully, they will do the same."

Students chosen for the trip are high school students living in low-income areas with 2.0 grade point averages and lower. While on the bus, they participated in an educationally based and wellthought out curriculum which includes daily reading of The Purpose Driven Life, journaling, discussions and charitable activities regarding the unique attributes and distinguishing issues observed in each state.

"A lot of the time, we had to get our reading done before we could go to sleep," Hemphill said. "It was a tradeoff, but it was for the better. (Walters) wanted to make sure we stayed on course with what the program was built to offer us."

In addition, students were supplied with the experience of higher education through campus visits and tours of some of the nation's colleges and universities, as well as cities like New York City and Washington, D.C.

Aside from the great views from the windows of their luxury coach or simply being able to brag of going to the nation's biggest cities, the main thing many of the local students will remember are the new friends gained by way of the trip.

"Within the first few days, we had all become friends," Tamara Morris said. "Each day we were roomed with someone new so we would get to know the other people on the trip.

"Seriously, they are my new family; we call each other regularly and will continue to do so in the future."