Trips Bring Learning to Life for High School Students
Trips Bring Learning to Life for High School Students
Recent field trips for Seaford High School students have provided them with enhanced knowledge in their areas of interest through meaningful, real-world experiences.
Approximately 130 students in Spanish Level 3 classes and the World Cultures Club went to Sangria 71, a restaurant in Williston Park. Students used their language skills in an authentic setting as they interacted with the restaurant staff in Spanish. They were also served several traditional dishes, with choices of multiple entrees and dessert that introduced students to the flavors of Spain. Appetizers included chorizos, chicken empanadas, shrimp and potatoes.
During their two hours in the restaurant, students listened to traditional music and got to see artwork and artifacts. Isabella Rizea said that she enjoyed experiencing Spanish culture and tasting food native to Spain.
“It was a good experience,” junior Autumn Feitzinger said. “It definitely helped everyone with their speaking skills and their pronunciation.”
“It was a great opportunity to actually use our Spanish skills and it made me feel a lot more confident with my Spanish speaking,” added Adrianna LoBasso.
The National Art Honor Society hosted a trip to the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Among the famous works that students got to see were Vincent Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” and Salvador Dali’s “Persistence of Memory.” About 50 students went on the trip from the honor society as well as Advanced Placement Art and Drawing and Painting classes. They spent about two hours in the museum and were able to explore the exhibits that most interested them.
“It was great to see all of the art that we’ve been taught about since elementary school,” Isabella Gerace said. “Getting to see it and discuss it with my classmates was amazing.”
Anastasia Perlegis said that she and her friends visited exhibits on all six floors of the museum, making the most of their time there.
“We tried to take it all in,” she said. “Every floor was something different.”
Art teacher Michael Kerr said that Seaford students are lucky to have experiences for cultural enrichment so close to home. Last year’s art trip was to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
“Not everyone can hop on a bus or a train and see these types of paintings,” he said.
About 60 students from Advanced Placement Biology classes traveled to the DNA Learning Center at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. They took part in two hands-on experiments.
The aspiring scientists did an electrophoresis lab, during which they received samples of bacterial DNA used in enzymes. They had to cut it up and separate it using electricity. Students then had to then match their sample to pictures on a screen to determine what bacteria they had.
In a bacterial transformation lab, students inserted a gene from jellyfish into bacteria to see if it would glow in the dark. They received different genes so some glowed and some didn’t.
Science teacher James Scourtos said that the DNA Learning Center visit is an annual trip in which students practice biotechnology techniques that are part of the class curriculum.
“It’s a good hands-on experience,” he said.
