Some students remember the field trips they’ve taken in their elementary and middle school years, many of them being fun and memorable, as far as going to Disneyland as a class, or a trip to the shore to go snorkeling, but what happened to the field trips in high school? Students see field trips as a good break from all the stress of homework and testing, or just a better hands-on experience to their extracurricular course.
“I think that students should be able to go on more field trips, like a zoo or a museum because it’s educational, but if it’s for entertainment I believe that students should go to something fun like a theme park, like Adventuredome,” Matias Lopes, junior, says
Students should be able to have field trips once every quarter, something inexpensive like visiting a local attraction that everyone is able to enjoy. Some ideas are the Hoover Dam, Seaquest, a ranch, or going to Mt. Charleston to go on a hike. It provides a surrene experience for students and would help in managing their stress.
Not only does it help with students’ mental health and their relationship with their teacher, but it could also help them have a visual and kinesthetic way of learning things around them, as well as seeing places that relate to a particular class. For example, students who are in the forensic class were able to go to the Mob Museum to experience the Crime Lab, specifically designed for individuals to experience fingerprint analysis, DNA profiling, and more relating to providing evidence to a case.
Owen Kletke, junior, got to experience this field trip first hand, saying, “Upon entry, the class and I received wristbands from the staff of the museum. We were given ample time to explore the premises while waiting for our group’s allotted time within the lab. This was perfect because the museum itself is quite expansive. With multiple floors to explore, I was certainly occupied. I got to learn about many different mob figures and their role within the mob. The part I found most intriguing was where I got to learn about some of the many hits the mob put out. I was devastated to learn that Bugsy, a proud owner of some casino, was brutally murdered. Also interesting was the Valentine’s Day massacre. This was where mob goons posed as police officers and ended up killing a bunch of opposing mob goons.
I think we should have more field trips, because one thing I’ve noticed about this school is that students don’t really care about relationships with other students or about the class itself. Field trips, like going to aquariums, gardens, museums or conservation centers could help us with both of those things.
— Riley Higgins
Eventually, when I got into the lab, I got to perform a simulated autopsy and scan my fingerprints. There were other things to do in the lab, but those stuck out to me.”
