Every Spring the whole sophomore class travels to Rye beach as a reward for working hard on their Marine Biology Project. This project is one of many that every student dreads at GHS.  For this project, each student is assigned a specific marine organism to research. The research process is strict and there are certain guidelines every student must follow. Unfortunately, the note-taking is graded, so if you don’t follow the instructions, you will receive a poor grade. Once the research part of the project is over, each student must write a paper that is usually between 10-20 pages long.  Student Julia Gentilli said, “ the marine bio project was very stressful because it pretty much determines your quarter grade.”

In order to go on the field trip, each student must pass the project. If a student were to receive a failing grade, they are able to redo their project or do extra credit. Since every sophomore is required to take biology, the field trip takes place over a course of four days, so every student is able to go. The field trip is divided into two different parts, activities on land and activities on a boat. Upperclassmen who take AP math or science classes are in charge of the activities taking place and they help teach the sophomores about the marine ecosystem.

For most sophomores the best part of the field trip was going on the boat. Kerstyn Harcrow said “The boat trip was very enjoyable and I learned many new things.”  The activities that took place on the boat included, navigation, tracking weather, learning about pollution, and observing certain organisms that live in the ocean. The activities on the land involved learning about the sandy shore, the salt marsh, and invasive species.  The upperclassmen who were in charge of these activities were well educated in the subject and were very helpful for the sophomores’ education. Overall, many students had a great time on this field trip and learned many new things about the marine ecosystem.