San Juan Trip Reflection

The trip to San Juan was a woulderful and unique experience that I'll always remember. We got to learn about marine biology first hand, which you can't really do much of in Colorado. To me, being able to hold the animals we've been learning about since January was incredible because I could know they weren't just something we learn about in a book or lecture. Also, seeing that some of these creatures survive without eyes or a complex brain was different because it was something new to me not to see any eyes or movement from something I know is alive.mWe got to see Orcas in the wild which was beautiful because, we saw a family that was just free and living off of its ecosystem. Going on this trip made me more aware that there is a bigger picture, there are probably billions of different unique and important animals on earth, Colorado isn't its own tiny little world, and there is so much out there that I don't know and will never know.

My Reflction to the trip

Things I did on the last day of the trip:

• Rode Ferry to Anacortes from Friday Harbor
• Got in the Bus and rode to Seattle 
• Explored Pike's Market
• Bought a sweet-shirt and some souvenirs in Seattle 
• Went to Airport  

My last day favorite activity was to go to Pike's Market because I saw the famous gum wall and also bought souvenirs so I can remember this awesome trip.

This trip was a great experience because I got to meet new people from our AVID family and I also liked all the activities from this trip. From this trip I learned a lot from the Orca Whales, what I heard that the Female Dorsal Fin is 3ft tall and the Males Dorsal Fin is 6ft tall. I learned this from the naturalist JB, JB is the naturalist from the whale watching he told us a lot about the whales. I can apply this later in my life by sharing with other people about whales and how cool and beautiful is over their in the San Juan Islands specially with whales.

My Reflection on Our Trip to Friday Harbor!

   This trip to Friday Harbor was definitely a once in a lifetime experience! I learned many new things and applied the info we already learned throughout our days on the island. I learned new things about the physical environment in Friday Harbor and the island such as what was the oldest building in Friday Harbor, the natural disasters that happen(ed), how Mt. Young came to be, and much more! I also learned about many new marine life outside and past the docks and marine life in the docks. For example, Popeye, the well known harbor seal that is seen around the docks, stellar sea lions, Orca Whales, cone jellies, and more! I think the most thing I learned about and already learned before the trip was about the marine life. I learned a lot about and for this trip from Mr.Davis, a bit from Ms.Barcheck and Mr.Graham, and from the resources at Friday Harbor, such as JB, those at the American Legion, and many of the residence living in the town that were super helpful! I feel that the information we learned would be greatly used if you were to study marine biology, helpful for a class, and would be handy to know if you were informing someone or on a hike! This was an amazing trip and was definitely worth all the hard work and studying! I would do anything to go back on this trip! :)

    

What I've gotten out of this trip

What I've learned about this trip is to not judge someone by its cover. I really got the chance to interact with different people that I didn't even knew or talked to in class. I feel like this trip was such a great experience because if it wasn't for this trip I wouldn't have gotten to know different people. This trip really gave me the chance to interact with different people and not depend on social media. I made some great friends and i will remember this trip forever.

San Juan Reflection - Ale S.J

San Juan was a very fun experience.I learned many new things and made many new friends. Even though I have been in the same class or have had classes with people who I went on the trip with I have never really talked to them. On this trip I learned many new thing about myself. One thing that I learned about myself is that I can be adventurous at times. I will always remember this trip. This trip was amazing and I am glad that I was a part of it.

things I learned

I learned that the people who live there are very nice and when there is traffic it is vary quiet. The American lagoon  is a group of retried solders helping them self and others. Orcas are not as they seem they are nice animals.

what i learned on the trip over all

there are so many things that i could tell you about the trip, but there is one that i think was most helpful to me. That one thing is the whales. I think the whales are the most important thing i learned because we don't have whales here in C.O. When i first got on the whale watching boat i thought we were just going to be on a boat for three hours doing nothing. Well i was completely wrong. we had a great instructor who made the wait of looking for whales seem like it was no time at all. when i first saw the whales i was speechless, they were so cool! but i also learned so much about them from Mr. J.B and from all the other adults there who helped out. some of the facts i learned about the orcas is that the male orca's dorsal fin can get up to 6 feet tall, while the female can get up to 3 ft.  I also learned that when an orca breeches it only does it for fun. The group we saw was a pod of 4 or 5. witch is an average pod. a pod is a group. there are soooo many more things that i learned, but the whales is one of the most important things because we like i said don't get them in C.O.

Friday harbor reflection

   This trip was once in a life time trip. I loved seeing able to see all the organisms that Mr. Davis talked about. I also liked learning about the culture and history of Friday Harbor. I learned that people are way different then what you think they are.  In this trip i got to know Mrs. Barcheck more than what I did. we had a lot of fun going on a bike ride. I also got to know Ms. Bakas better. At rest we were quiet with each other but at the end of the week i noticed that me and her got really close. I also learned that I don't need to have my phone with me at all times. I enjoyed staying away from my phone for a couple of days because I got to make new friends and build a better relationship with my other friends. I learned that you don't need technology with you at all times because it stops you from doing things like going on a bike ride or just going out and enjoying the view. This is what I learned in this trip.   

Reflection on Friday Harbor trip

Being able to have the opportunity to go on the Avid trip has been a once in a life experience. I am glad I was able to go because we saw all of the Marine Biology that Mr. Davis talked to us about and we also got to learn new things. We learned new things about not only other organisms but also the culture and history at Friday Harbor. My favorite part on this trip was Whale Watching. Last year my sister went on this trip and unfortunately they didn't get to see whales so me being so see them and me telling her all about them was great. As soon as we saw the first whale we gasped in excitement. We followed them for a while and then left to go find other organisms. We saw sea lions and then went back to Friday Harbor. We learned a lot of stuff when we were on the Scavenger hunt because of all of the people we had asked about the history of Friday Harbor. A fact that one of the people that lived in Friday Harbor was about the Pig War. It was against the Americans and the British. An American had shot a British pig. They wanted to start a war because of this but it was soon called off. Also the American Legion museum might help people in the future because some of them want to be in the Air Force, Army, Navy or another service. Everything we did at Friday Harbor was fun. It made me want to explore more because there are a lot of beautiful places that I want to go to now

San Juan Trip Reflection

   Going to the San Juan Islands was one of the most amazing experience I've ever had, and an unforgettable one. I bonded closer to friends, and made a handful more :). This trip gave me so many new experiences that I have never had before. One of which is my first airplane ride. During this trip, I learned so many things. In addition to learning about the physical world, like the different types of trees and marine wildlife,I also learned some new mental things.I learned how to laugh, have fun, and cooperate with other people that you really wouldn't normally hang out with. At the beginning of this year, I really wasn't feeling this "mix it up" thing that Mrs. Barcheck was pushing, but now I can definitely what she wanted us to get out of it. This was a once in a life time experience, and I'm glad I could go on it with my best friends. Thanks to all the teachers who made this possible.
                                                                                  ~Jonathan Brennan

Last Day Reflection - Daniela C.

Things I did on the last day:
- I took the Ferry from Friday Harbor to Anacortes
- Took a bus from Anacortes to Seattle
- Walked around Pike's Place Market for a while
- Went to Airport and took plane to Denver
  My absolute favorite thing I did on the last day was walking around Pike's Place Market. It was so much fun and I especially loved watching two guys throw a fish back and forth while singing. There were so many amazing things that I saw people sell. What I found most interesting was that most people had made all the beautiful things that they sold. I loved everything that we did on the last day but nothing beats going to Pike's Place Market.
 I learned so many things on this trip, but the one thing I learned and I will never forget, is to always have a positive vibe. If you don't have a positive vibe and always complain or always look at the negative side of things you won't enjoy what you're doing. On this trip I roomed with two  girls that I thought I would never get along with. Little did I know that in just one week we would all be great friends. Being happy and flexible with whatever happens will really get you places, or in my case new friends.
 I would really like to thank you Ms. Barcheck for teaching me that life is about taking new chances and getting a little out of my confront zone.

Friday Harbor Reflection- Jorge P.

Things I did on the last day of the trip:

• Rode Ferry to Anacortes
• Rode Bus to Seattle
• Explored Pikes Market
• Bought some shirts and souvenirs in Seattle
• Went to Airport

My favorite activity during the last day was exploring Pikes Market and buying some stuff so I can remember Seattle and Friday Harbor.

I enjoyed this amazing trip because it was so cool learning about Marine Biology and Friday Harbor's history.  I learned so much during this trip.  For example I learned that you don't need your phone in your hand every second of the day.  You enjoy trips more if you don't have your phone, because you are looking at nature, instead at a screen with pictures of nature.  Its not the same.  I also learned a lot about marine biology, like different animals habitats and how they live.  Last thing that I learned was that you can get closer to people and know them better with a trip.  I got closer with some of the people in the AVID Family that I didn't even talk that much.

I learned most of the marine biology info from a great teacher and person; Mr. Davis.  He taught us so much about Friday Harbor and different organisms.  I'm glad I got to know him.  I also learned about other people by talking to them and not having technology distracting me from the trip.

I will probably do this and forget about technology, next time I go on a trip.  Trust me I enjoyed the trip better without my phone, most of the time I forgot about my phone.  I will also teach some people about the different organisms and about the trip.  I will tell about how crucial it is to know about this information.  It is also cool learning about things that you didn't know about before.  This information could save some organisms, for example the starfish and their disease.

Again I really enjoyed this trip, I wish we could've stayed a little longer.  It was such a fun experience doing all the different activities.  I thank the chaperones and other people that supported our trip, you guys helped a lot.

 

The Last Day

The last day was great! What I loved about it most was Pike Place Market! They had very unique items. They had these amazing flowers too. I learned a lot on the trip. I learns a lot about Marine Biology, but also a lot about time management and team work. Of corse we learned Marine Bio by doing notes, or activities. I learned about time management by having to be places at certain time and have a dead line for when I had to turn in my work. This will help me be on time with work in high school and when I'm an adult. Teamwork, I learned this by doing activities  that include having to work with a group, such as our scavenger hunt. This will help me with a lot of things! In your life you have to work in teams a lot, so this will help me good working in a group.

-Allie B.

Reflection of an amazing trip

I learned so many things in this trip but I'm just going to tell you about one thing I learned.One thing  Is that you don't need a phone to have fun you don't need a phone to communicate with someone.Your phone keeps you from learning so many things and from getting to know amazing people.Me and Perla got so much closer to Daniela and lizbeth, they were always the  quite girls in class that just talked to eachother. I really was wrong because they are loud and so fun to be with. Liz was like the light to my day she was always laughing with me and having such an amazing time.They really have a bright side! I think if I had my phone I wouldn't of get to know those two girls more. I think if I ever travel somewhere in the world I'll make the decision to not take my phone with me so I can get to know people and not be on my phone during the hole trip.

San Juan Islands Reflection

The San Juan Island experience was incredible and unforgettable. I learned so many new things that are too undescribable and aren't even able to be put into words. I became closer to so many people that I would have never talked to in class or anywhere else. The things I learned, the people I became closer with, the things I saw for the first time, that's what this trip was made of. It wasn't made up of the money we put into it, it's what we had gotten out of it, that's what made it special. This was an experience of a life time.
I learned what types of trees grew there, to the American Legion, which was an amazing place to eat, and learn. I am so glad that I get to continue in such an amazing program.
Even though I was way too tired to function most of the time, I still pushed through to get the full experience. It was still amazing, even though I was exhausted most of the time.
I will never forget this trip, thanks to all of you who made it special.
*Bailee Von Roenn

Reflection of my trip to the San Juan Islands

The trip was definitely the adventure of a lifetime and I'm so glad I was able to go. I had some much fun going to the tide pools and going whale watching, especially since we were able to see orca whales and find a bunch of stuff in the tide pools. I really enjoyed cooking and eating at the American Legion as well as going to the docks at night. I also really enjoyed going on the Duck Tour, the ferry, and Pikes Market, but out of all the thing we did this week, I most enjoyed looking at the view from the American Legion and learning about all the different things on the island, and most of all, hanging out with my friends.

I learned a bunch of interesting stuff about the island its self and its inhabitants. We learned about the different types of animals in the tide pools and the vegetation around the island. We also learned some history and acts about Seattle, for example, the Seattle Space Needle was designed on a napkin and presented at the Worlds Fair, Amazon owns most of the Seattle skyscrapers and the original Pioneer Squared flooder twice daily and was burned down in less that 24 hours. I could use this information in high school or later on in life if I decide to traveling or want to teach kids about it.

Thanks to all the awesome teachers that came with us on this amazing trip! I wish we could have stayed longer, but it was awesome while it lasted. I will never forget this trip and I don't think anyone else who went on this trip will either.

Last day activities

On the last day we woke up at 6;30 and got ready to leave for the ferry, or rather, I did anyway. We got out of our hotel rooms at 7 ish and headed to the ferry with are bags in toe. We waited around for the ferry for maybe 10 minutes before we boarded, and once we got on we finished up our journals and hung out. After what seemed like 10 minutes but was supposedly an hour and a half, we got off the ferry and onto the travel bus that took us to Seattle.

When we got to Seattle, we went to Pikes Market and were given $10 and 2 hours to explore. I had a brownie, a churro, and calamari and later on  got a flattened penny with the Seattle skyline on it and a rock that said "Dream Big" on it. I was going to get something else but we didn't have enough time.

We then got to the airport but our flight was delayed 40 minutes so I got a little glass thing with air bubbles in it that looked like the Seattle Space Needle. I then just sat around and talked with my friends until we boarded the plane. There was some guy that was screaming at another guy aa little before we boarded the plane, so that was interesting and kind of scary. On the plane I was able to sit next to my friends Brooks and Jonathan and we played an interesting game of add on during the flight. When we landed, we got our bags, thanked everyone, and went home, which was ice since I was pretty tired.

Reflection of the AVID trip

I learned a lot of things and I won't be able to write them all but I will tell you about the ones that I thought of the most . Now in day's kids and teens are very very into their phones and sometimes you don't even look up at the sky. This week I have learned that you don't need a phone to have a good time.You might be able to get in touch with people that are far away but that the only thing phones do. I think I had more fun and paid attention a lot more than I would with my phone with me. Most of the time you don't even think about it because there's too much to do and explore. I have also learned a lot from and amazing person and his name is Mr. Davis. He is one of the most interesting and funny person you'll ever know I am so glad I got to know him. I think that the most interesting thing I learned was how the sea anemone can run away from a predator.
https://youtu.be/Dm98n3908QM?t=73
I think that if you tried not to use your phone for a week you would look at things very differently from what you're used too.

Free time

On our free time we went on a bike ride. Our biking was fun but it was a struggle. There were times where we had to go up steep hills and we thought that we were never going to get to the top. The good thing was that we had amazing teachers supporting us and screaming " You can do it!" The best part was after we finished the bike ride we went for an Ice cream with our teachers. We also went to the docks and it was amazing. We were able to see moon jellyfish and shrimp. We were also able to see sea anemone and barnacles.n On our free time we were able to go to the pool and hangout with our friends. Another thing that you could do was to chill in your room with your room mates or call other friends of your sex or also play some soccer too. 

Friday Harbor without technology

This trip without technology was actually not that bad.  I expected worse.  I thought that I would die without my phone every second of the five day trip, but honestly most of the time, I didn't even realize that I didn't have my phone.  I loved this trip, and I realized that I didn't need; Snapchat, Facebook, or Instagram.  At the beginning of the trip countdown I thought that my teachers were so mean for not letting us bring our phones.  I thought I was going to die because of that.  I realized that life without technology is better than having our phones on our hands.  I hope I can do this again and enjoy a trip like I did this one. 

The week without the phone wasn't that bad. It was actually pretty fun because we had went places and weren't distracted by the technology. For example when we went whale watching, instead of watching for the whales majority of the group would be stuck in the drama at home. About all the time I didn't even notice that I didn't have my phone. It was a pretty fun experience my favorite part of the trip was when we had reached the top of Mt. Young. It was my favorite part because when we had reached the top it had such a beautiful view. 

-Jorge & Deandra 

Hike Up to Mt. Young

Everyone likes to hike, and Colorado is the perfect place for it, but have you ever hiked up a mountain on an island at sea level? Well the AVID group can now say that they have. We started our adventure around 9:00 am, getting onto a bus all anxious to get there. When we arrived we were warned by the bus driver about the stinging nettle that if touched would make you break out in hives. We all were silent until all the teachers told us that we'll be fine and mostly won't see any. We trusted them and in the end they were right. As we started out hike Mr. Davis would stop us for every interesting thing (even if most people weren't interested). We saw many new things such as ferns, horse tail (that have been around since the dinosaurs), and the Madrone tree that will drop its bark around itself and make it so that is will photosynthesize without the struggle of trees around it trying to do the same thing. A Madrone tree is Mr Davis's second favorite tree behind the Camper Down Elm. We continued and soon enough we found something that is very rare in CO. We found Giant slugs that looked like banana slugs but we weren't sure. The higher we climbed up the trail the more and more giant slugs we found on the side of the trail. We made a pit stop about 5 mins away from the top and Mr. Medina joked about how it would take another hour until we got to the top and we all believed him. We finally made it to the top, and the view was breath taking. We made it to the top to find a view of the land below us and the sea was seen for miles. We probably took over 100 photos if we combined then all together, too bad we can't post all of them. We all wanted to stay up there and admire the view for ever, but sadly we had to go. We took one last group photo and started to head back down the mountain. When we got back to the bus we were all tired and ready to call it a day. All and all we had a great time hiking and I think we could all agree we would do it again if we could.

P.S: Yayi Says "Hi Mom
-Yayi and Brooks

American Legion War Tour

Today the AVID group went to the American Legion where they have allowed our group access for twenty years free of charge, to cook and have class. Today we had a tour of the museum at the top of the building where we met retired war captain Carl who has been collecting war items from every veteran he finds. We saw some memorabilia dating back to the civil war. For example, we saw old decorated war uniforms and used weapons from various wars all the way back to WW1. During the end of the tour Carl talked to us about the values of war. He believes that America gives you the freedom that every country should allow. Citizens to have freedom of speech and a voice is what he went to Vietnam to fight for. The tour really helped our group understand why we should respect our veterans.

-Parker H. and Ale

The British Camp and the Pig Wars by Alaric and Lizbeth

The Pig War was started because an American pig was shot by British soldiers. The pig had wandered near the British camp and a few soldiers decided to have some fun with it. Long story short, they ended up killing the pig and the American officers were furious about it, and since the British and America were trying to decide who got which islands, this did not help their relationship. Even though the American and British officers hated each other, the soldiers had no problem with each other and they were just doing what they were told. After the incident, the American soldiers would sneak down to the British camp and basically party with the other soldiers, despite how much the officers hated each other. This continued for quite some time until a German Arbitrator put and end to the conflict and the Americans gained the island.

Wildlife Photos from our Whale Watching Day

Photos taken by our naturalist and guide from Western Prince- JB (John Boyd). Thank you, John!

Oral Presentations Last Night

Students did a scavenger hunt in town to find out about the history, economy, and culture of the island. Then they developed creative presentations to share what they learned. We didn't have any fun...

Whale watching

.Imagine you're on a boat, it's rocking back and forth. The wind is splashing water on your face. You have been on this boat for 2 hours. You hear someone shout "Orcas at 2 o'clock!" You rush to the side of the boat, you see two black fins coming out of  water. As you keep watching you see more coming up out of the water. You see the white patches on the whale. You see more appear as they dance through the water. The naturalist tell you they are the T-77 pod. They are transient orca whales. They are not as common as residential whales. They disappear for a few minutes before returning. The naturalist explains how they have an erratic swimming pattern. They also tell you transient whales eat seals, sea lions, and other marine animals. To eat this, orcas  have large sharp teeth, while hump backs have baleen. You watch the whales come up more. They explain how they got the name killer whales. They got it by sailors seeing orcas attack other whales as the sailing. They called the, "killer of whales". As time passed they called them "killer whales".

On your way back from seeing the pods, you spot a few bold Eagles. The naturalist tell you they are common around the islands. You keep moving when you see stellar sea loins. They are only here a few months of the year. They are often referred to as the Grizzlies of the sea. After seeing the sea lions the guide/naturalist continued his trivia of random topics to entertain everyone on the boat. You arrive back at Friday harbor very pleased.

Allie B Alicia