A trip to Russia organized by social studies teachers Mark Robertson and Kevin Howard was up in the air due to the Russian invasion of Crimea, a peninsula in Ukraine.

Despite growing tensions between the United States and Russia, the trip is still happening. The company Robertson is working with, WorldStrides, will change the location of the trip if the State Department puts out a travel warning for Russia.

“The bottom line is if the State Department does decide that it is hazardous it gets switched instantaneously,” Robertson said.

Right now the State Department has only issued an alert for the nation of Russia, not a warning. An alert just notifies travelers about short term threats to health and safety while a warning lets travelers know about more serious, long term threats.

“There is no actual fighting going on,” Robertson said. “They are forcing each other in shows of strength and all of that happy crap, but that’s it.”

With the trip still on, students like sophomore Courtney Hylok are nervous about security but still excited.

“I want to go to Russia just like anyone else would,” Hylok said. “It’s a trip of a lifetime. Not everyone can have a chance to see the other side of the world. I am nervous of everything that has been going on with Russia. But I know that Robertson would never put us in harm.”

The trip plans to take students to St. Petersburg and the capital of Russia, Moscow. They will explore the Kremlin, Red Square and the KGB Museum.

“I plan to jump in headfirst into the Russian culture and try to immerse myself in the thrill of it all,” sophomore Emily Stringham said. “I’ve never been overseas, so this will all be a completely new experience for me.”

With Crimea over 800 miles away from Moscow, Robertson feels that the trip will be less about the controversy in Ukraine and more about the Russian culture and history.

“To me the idea of the trip was more or less realizing the size and the scope of the earth and all of the different things that go on,” Robertson said.