Several students from Toronto and southern Ontario are on field trips in Japan, and local parents were initially struggling to keep track of where they are following Friday's destructive quake and tsunami.

Ken and Laurie Ullman's 17-year-old son Jordan is currently in Japan, and like his classmates, is safe and sound.

The teen left the family home Thursday on what was supposed to be an adventure of a lifetime with his classmates from Holy Trinity School in Richmond Hill. However, only a day later, the trip has turned into another kind of adventure altogether.

At 2 a.m. on Friday, the Ullmans received a phone call from another parent about the quake. The parent told them that because of a huge earthquake and a destructive tsunami, the students had been detoured to a military base outside of Tokyo.

Jordan is one of 43 students and four staff from Holy Trinity on the trip. They are currently in Sapporo, in Hokkaido, Japan, awaiting news about when they can fly home. They are hoping to come home Monday.

All the Ullman's want is their son home and safe.

"He's never been that far away, it's a distance, so of course I feel helpless," said Laurie, adding that the class and staff are all safe and in good health.

School officials have been dealing with numerous phone calls from concerned friends and family members. Though staff at the school spent much of the day dealing with parents, the destruction in Japan means that information is trickling out slowly.

Holy Trinity's Barrie Hughes said that the 10-day trip has been cancelled and students will return home as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, there is a similar situation for students at East Northumberland High school in Brighton, Ont. Angela Young, a teacher who is in Japan with those students, sent an email saying that the group was in Tokyo when the quake hit. The letter said that students were scared but safe.

Additionally, 25 students from Rosedale Heights School for the Arts en route to Japan had their flight re-routed to land in Alaska when news of the quake broke early Friday.

With a report from CTV Toronto's Naomi Parness