“I told her, ‘Honey, they’re going to sell out this cruise in a heartbeat. They don’t need help selling these cabins.’ And she said, ‘We have to at least try; all they can do is say no.’”

Mia set off to write an email to the tour line, and the next day, Nanette received a follow-up call from an employee looking to see whether she knew what her daughter was up to. Nanette confirmed the story, and was met with enthusiasm and an agreement to put a cabin on hold given that it was a gift from students to their teacher.

Mia reached out to Doolen eighth-graders and Reed’s former students, some of who were able to go into high school with math credits under their belts, thanks to Reed’s advanced course.

“Happy travels, and thank you for getting me off to such a great start at UHS!,” one contributor wrote on the GoFundMe page.

The word was then spread on social media with people who have never met Reed but liked the idea of students supporting a teacher.