During the Living Coast: Ecology of the Bay Area Intersession, students spent a week exploring California’s coast, traveling to Santa Cruz, Natural Bridges State Beach, Bodega Bay, coastal areas of Marin and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Eli Gelb (‘28) said, “It was a really nice break from regular school life,” as students were able to learn about our surrounding coast in a more hands-on way.
One of the biggest highlights for a lot of people was the Monterey Bay Aquarium, especially the sea otters. Flora Lucas (‘27) said, “Watching them swim, eat and float around was really exciting.”
Students also mentioned how fun it was to see live feedings and learn more about marine life up close. The kelp forest, rays and turtles were amazing, and sardines swimming in endless circles were hypnotizing, but the otters were a favorite for most.
The trails on the first day’s hike along the Santa Cruz coast were very muddy, catching many students unprepared. At the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, students explored and STEM and Visual Arts teacher Eric Moes sat on a wet bench with a statue trying to get a cool picture. This quickly became a memorable part of the trip for many students, instantly becoming a trip inside joke.
Eric Moes said, laughing, “I got my entire rear end wet.” Moes added plenty of humor to this trip. Lucas said: “Eric was a really funny teacher, he is just a character, so the whole trip was very funny overall.”
Even though these moments were unexpected and a little uncomfortable, they were the ones that brought the group closer together… Especially the moments involving Eric Moes.
Many shared that this trip helped them connect with people from different grades that they probably wouldn’t have talked to and build a strong sense of community. As Lucas said, “I only had two junior friends, so meeting other people from other grades was really fun.”
By the end of the week, the Living Coast Intersession wasn’t just about the ocean and its wonders, it was also about shared experiences, new friendships and memories that students have carried long after this trip ended.
