Keys Trip Goes Swimmingly
Seventh grader Casey Zecca flashes the “hang ten” sign while on one of the coral reef dives.
After weeks of anticipation, the seventh-grade Keys trip finally arrived and was a complete success! The students had a great time from May 4-6 learning a lot about the ocean’s ecosystem in Key Largo while spending time with their friends and teachers.
The trip began with a three-hour bus ride to Marine Lab, the facility where the students stayed and studied the local marine life. Although the bus ride was long, the students had fun talking with their friends and playing games. “I really enjoyed the bus ride,” explained seventh grader Grace Myers. “On the way there, it was a ride of anxiety mixed with excitement. I know we were all ready to get there, but also enjoyed the time to talk about what we were doing and have some time with our friends.”
Upon arriving at Marine Lab, the students received their cabin assignments, a secret that seventh-grade science teacher Ms. Mallory Gleason had kept for weeks.
Coach Keller gleefully uses an air horn to awaken the students in his cabin.
“This is my interesting and innovative strategy: when I don’t want anyone to know something, I don’t tell anyone,” Gleason joked. “I gave copies to Mr. Maddox the day we left, but he is like a vault when it comes to information. His ability to withstand intense interrogation tactics and not crack under pressure earned him this honor.”
Brooke Hayes (left) and Skyler Zur dry off from their dive on one of the boats and show off the jellyfish they collected .
Right after being introduced to the instructors, the students were given a tour of the facility and were sent to change into their swimsuits for a swim test. They then had the opportunity to snorkel in the lagoon, and dive down to America’s only underwater hotel, the Jules’ Undersea Lodge! The rooms therein can actually be rented out by people who stay at the facility.
After breakfast on Thursday, students were placed into groups, boarded several boats, and traveled along the coast to a cluster of mangrove trees. The students and their instructors got into the water and began snorkeling, looking around for different animals they could collect in order to figure out which animals lived in the mangroves. Many groups ended up finding jellyfish, sea stars, crabs, various flatworms, and snails.
Myers also really enjoyed the mangrove dive, and was surprised by all of the wildlife that lived there. “There were so many upside-down jellyfish. At first I was kind of scared, but after swimming, you find them more fascinating than scary.”
Following lunch, the second dive of the day was amongst the coral reefs. The students swam around and were able to free-dive down to swim with the fish. They saw sharks, stingrays, parrotfish, barracudas, pufferfish, and all of the different types of coral: brain coral, fan coral, and even elkhorn coral. Many of the student had not ever snorkeled before, so for them, seeing the coral reefs was an amazing experience.“The coral reef amazed me in general.” said seventh grader Briley Crisafi. “At times I had to remind myself I wasn’t watching a movie, [but] that I was actually snorkeling in a coral reef! I was really scared of the depth at first, but…suddenly I was swimming with some of the biggest fish of the sea, and for some reason, I wasn’t afraid at all!”
The students had a lot of fun, but the chaperones enjoyed the trip as well.
Alex Michelon looks at a specimen under one of the microscopes at the Marine Lab facility.
“[There was] excellent planning and preparation by Ms. Gleason and the seventh-grade students,” said Head of Middle School Mr. Charles Hagy. “This is the key to success on this trip. Students were well-behaved, engaged and respectful. My favorite part was the [educational] classes and boat trip to snorkel. I was really proud to be with such wonderful students. [I am] looking forward to many more trips to Key Largo in the years to come.”
Middle school physical education teacher Gregory Keller vows to chaperone the trip “till I leave or get fired. I love being outside and swimming in the water, and that is my favorite trip all year that I go on.”
The Keys trip certainly seemed to be a memory maker for both students and faculty. And while students may want to forget the prospect of the looming final exams in a couple of weeks, they will most likely always remember the experiences they had on the last major field trip of the 2015-16 school year.
