Today…
I’m celebrating our trip to Catalina Island.
Over 1,000 students, 140 parents, and 7 teachers have gone with me on this trip over the past 11 years. Every time I learn something; every time it is thrilling; every time there are challenges.
For our fifth graders it’s a life changer. They put on wet suits, that keep them warm and buoyant; masks and snorkels that allow them to see all the wonders of Toyon Bay. With the sunlight shining overhead, they go into kelp forests. Garibaldi weave in and out. In sandy spaces, bat rays, shovel nose guitar fish and leopard sharks swim below. They pass schools of blacksmith and opaleye. They snorkel at night to see bioluminescence. They participate in labs on squid dissection, invertebrates, sharks, algae, plankton and oceanography. Students set up, clean up and eat together for three days away from home. They face and overcome fears.They have the magical experience of going to camp.
As one fifth grader said, this is heaven.and then another responded, no this is paradise.
To Read To Write To Be 