On April 13 to April 16, Riverside Secondary’s science department is offering for the field trip of a lifetime; this latest trip announcement has students and staff intrigued. The Bamfield Science trip is a four day trip for biology 11 and 12 students, located on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Ms. Melissa Jackson, a teacher at Riverside Secondary, did a university semester at Bamfield and says it is one of the best experiences any biology student could ask for. This will be the first time students from Riverside will be going and it will be continuing once every two years. This four day trip will be spent exploring the ocean, the shores, and sea animals and getting the chance to be in an actual ‘wet laboratory’ and studying the wildlife.
According to Ms. Bree Mireau, Grade 11 biology teacher and coordinator of the trip, staff from Riverside have approached her for a spot on the trip because of how big of an opportunity this is. Many universities such as University of Victoria, UBC, and SFU share this outdoor campus to study and conserve the marine life. University students have the chance to take a semester at Bamfield and work hands on with marine life.
“Even if you aren’t wanting to be a marine biologist and you just like science, or you just like the outdoors or just like nature, you’re in a place where people absolutely love what they are there studying. So you truly can’t help being affected and want to learn more,” said Mireau.
This four day trip has up to ten activities a day. From 7:30am to 10:00pm, the students will engage in all sorts of adventures and learning experiences, from boat excursions to sea floor dredges. The students will be guided by marine biologists all throughout the day trips. The work is all hands-on and very educational.
The trip comes to a total of $700 including travel costs, room and board, boat excursions, science labs and day trips. The trip has limited space, see Ms. Mireau in room 200 if you are interested.
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