By Naomi Kruh
Staff Writer
Once the school year begins to wind down and students become eager about summer vacation, Mira Costa science teacher Jonathan Lewis plans on taking a group of 40-45 students to Utah next May.
Currently, Lewis, science teacher Dan Bartlett, and math teacher Linda Gesualdi plan on chaperoning the five-day trip. On the trip, students will participate in activities such as visiting national parks, hiking and rafting. However, all school related overnight trips must be approved by the school board and Lewis is still waiting approval.
“This trip will be post Advance Placement testing, which is a good time to reward the students for their hard work,” Lewis said.
The students will stay in rental cabins near Zion National Park for the duration of the trip and will have the opportunity to go to Antelope and Glen Canyon and raft on the Colorado River. Students will also have the chance to go to the Bryce National Park and Zion National Park.
“I am looking forward to hiking in the national parks and canyons,” junior Megan Stickelmaier said. “It’s not every day that you get to see the unique of landscapes of beautiful places like Antelope Canyon and Zion.”
Two years ago, Lewis hosted a trip similar to this one, but the primary focus was to observe an annular solar eclipse, compared to this year’s multi-faceted experience. Only 20 students travelled with the previous trip, but Lewis is hoping that his advanced planning for this year’s trip will increase the amount of students to sign up.
“I didn’t know about the eclipse until a month and a half before,” Lewis said. “So we put the trip together very quickly, and students had already committed to other things.”
According to Lewis, one purpose of the trip is to show large-scale geophysics in real-life situations and expose students to both the geology and geography of the Western United States.
“I enjoy experiencing incredible things,” Lewis said. “This is a good opportunity to get people out of their comfort zone and experience things that they may never go see on their own.”
As of now, 27 junior and seniors have signed up to go on the trip that will take place in May. However, Lewis is anticipating a few more student sign ups over the weeks to come.
“It is going to be a great trip and I hope the students will take in the experience of the fascinating sights they will encounter,” Lewis said. “The last trip was fantastic, and I know that this new trip will also be a worth-while experience for those who decide to join us.”
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