Every year Kimberlee Dodd, the Business Finance Academy’s freshman teacher, holds a field trip for her freshman BFA students at a college. This year’s trip was to UC Merced on Oct. 16. The buses were set to leave at 8 a.m. so students had to be checked in and in seats by that time. They had gotten their permission slips two weeks prior to the trip and were able to turn them in anytime before the buses left for the trip. The students visited UC Merced and after the buses took them to John’s Incredible Pizza.
Because Dodd was too sick to go, she had Mercedes Keath, the sophomore BFA teacher, sub in and go on the trip for her. Mrs. Keiah goes every year but is never the main teacher that keeps all the students together. She’s usually there just for some help but this year that was Krysten Snyder, the BFA counselor. According to Mrs. Keath she really liked subbing in for Mrs. Dodd, and had fun learning with the students and also getting to relax a bit at John’s Incredible.
UC Merced is a school that specializes in engineering, psychology, biology, and other scientific fields. These types of fields aren’t the most popular to major in but the students at UC Merced made them look interesting and fun even to those who aren’t the best at science or the most interested in science. The type of college and proximity of the college is very important for Mrs. Dodd thinks about when she is picking so that her students get a chance to see what a UC campus is like and so that they can go somewhere fun afterwards in order to socialize with one another.
She does this because to her it’s, “A great way to get the freshman on a UC campus on the beginning of their highschool career and we like to partner it to something fun afterwards since you will be together for the next four years.”
This is important to think about because although students talk to each other in class they don’t socialize with the other class unless they are already friends with the person.
The trip started quite well according to Brayden Garbett, a student on the trip. “When we got off the bus the guides told us to get into groups of like 20 and we were allowed to go with our friends from the other class.”
After that, the students went with their guides and they showed them around the school.
“We went to the bathroom and then to like some lab places and then to some other places we also saw the little Bob Cat statue,” said Garbett.
“The guides did a good job at showing the students around campus, keeping them engaged and close together so everyone could hear, said Keath.
Dodd plans these trips right at the start of the school year so that she can give her students time to turn in their permission slips. She does this so that hopefully more kids are able to attend since she wants to get her money’s worth and give her students a fun day. Dodd usually doesn’t separate her classes but this year she the classes were split up due to the fact that Keath didn’t know everyones name nor did she want anyone getting lost since Dodd wasn’t there.
Keath says, “this helped me to keep track since I would look at the amount of kids from each class and then see if anyone was missing before we got back on the buses.”
Although the actual college part of the trip was fun for the students of course their favorite part was going to John’s Incredible Pizza afterwards.
“My favorite part about this whole trip was going to John’s Incredible afterwards and sleeping on the bus after that.”
This trip was a success for both the students and Keath. Everyone learned a little something about the school and had fun while at it. Next year’s freshman BFA students should look forward to this trip because it’s a good one that’ll teach you something and that you’ll have fun at.