Some Pacific Ridge Students Home From China

Rick, Stephanie, Juliana, Richie, and Shari Sapp can’t hide the smiles after being reunited.

All 15-year-old Stephanie Stapp (second from left) really wanted after being greeted by her family was some home cooked food. “Tacos sound so good. Mexican food,” she said wistfully between rounds of questions from reporters.

Stephanie, whose father Rick Sapp is the chairman of the board of the Pacific Ridge School, was among the ten students and two teachers who arrived home to the school’s Carlsbad campus tonight around 7:30 PM as part of the first wave of students returning home after their entire school trip had been quarantined in Yichang, China for the H1N1 virus. Three of these returning students had been in the hospital.

The trip was scheduled for 13 days, however it went a little overtime when several of the students fell ill during a river cruise to the Three Gorges Dam.

After those illnesses were reported to the Chinese government the entire group of 35 students and seven faculty were quarantined in the city of Yichang, China.

“We were five days later than we should have been,” Stephanie explained to reporters. “We got to see Shanghai for one day, but we didn’t end up doing the home stays.”

More students will be arriving at the school tonight a little after midnight, and five others who tested positive for Swine Flu earlier this month are still in the hospital in Yichang, China. According to student John Ballif, 15, some of those may be home as early as next week.

Balloons, hugs, smiles, and tears of joy greeted ten students and two teachers as they finally arrived back at Carlsbad’s Pacific Ridge School after days in quarantine.