A local class of seventh-graders are raising money on GoFundMe to send their retiring teacher on a European cruise.

The seventh-grade students at St. Simon the Apostle School in Green Park are hoping to raise $8,000 so that their history teacher, Robert Seitz, can go to Europe with his wife on a dream vacation.

Seitz is retiring at the end of this school year after 40 years as a teacher at the private school. St. Simon School is part of St. Simon the Apostle Catholic Church.

So far, the students have raised $3,605 of their $8,000 goal, enough to get the campaign trending on GoFundMe.

“He has always talked about going to Europe and he said his dream was to go on a cruise down a river in Europe. We would like to raise enough money to send him and his wife over to their dream cruise,” the students wrote on their GoFundMe page. “Please donate to help make this happen for him. We will be using all the money to send him on a vacation.”

The students are also looking at ways to accept checks from those who want to donate.

Many of the donations are coming from people who identify themselves as former students of Seitz.

Kristin Roberts wrote, “Mr. Seitz really helped develop my passion for social studies and now I’m a high school history teacher! I’ll never forget the Latin American research paper he helped us write and the Geography Bee in 7th grade. Through these projects, he challenged me and taught me the benefits of hard work. His commitment to education was, and is, inspiring! (Simon’s Class of ’99).”

Some of those donating said he was their children’s favorite teacher.