To thank local educators for their hard work, SSL created Teacher Appreciation Week, where educators are invited to ride the SSL for free from July 15 – 21, on all off-peak weekday and all weekend trains (off-peak weekday trains arrive at Millennium Station after 9:30 am CST and depart Millennium Station before 3:30 pm and after 6:30 pm CST). To ride, educators will need to present a valid school ID.

Nicole Barker, Director of Capital Investment & Implementation for the SSL said, “We want to continue to do something to show our appreciation. Teachers work so hard to positively impact the lives of students in Northwest Indiana, South Bend and Chicago. This is our way of saying thank you.”

In addition to free rides, during South Shore Line’s (SSL) Teacher Appreciation Week, essay applications will be accepted from educators for a chance to win free field trip transportation for their classes.

For a chance to win free field trip transportation, educators are asked to submit an essay focusing on what they did on the day they utilized the free train service. All essays must be submitted by July 29, and the winner will be contacted via email and announced on social media.

Essay Contest Guidelines:

• Submission must include educator’s name, email address, school and grade(s) currently taught.

• The essay must include a 1- 3 paragraph(s) description of your trip and what you did for the day. Photos are encouraged and may be shared on SSL social media.

• Email essays to mysouthshoreline@gmail.com with the subject “Teachers Ride Free Essay”

• Only one submission per educator is allowed.

• The field trip must occur during the 2019/2020 school year.