January 27, 2023
AJ Cabagbag |Writer
Our SCHS AP and IB biology classes had their annual field trip to the San Diego Safari Park, and students were eager to share their experiences.
Divided into two groups, students who attended the field trip were divided into two groups. One was to participate in a lab first and was free to explore the park later, while the other had a switched schedule. Within the lab, students participated in learning how to properly handle pipettes, later applying this to a gel electrophoresis machine. They learned about the park’s history regarding its condor recovery project, where San Diego Zoo partnered with other conservation organizations to restore the once critically endangered condor population from 22 to several hundred, and used their lab to determine the gender of condor DNA. Senior Ryan Savoie explained, “I didn’t know they saved a species.”
During their exploration of the park itself, the students mostly had the park to themselves with little to no other tourists and were better able to see different animals from many different places of the world. From the grassy savannas to tropical forests, the park offered many exhibits highlighting animals from meerkats to lions. It was a great opportunity to enjoy the park with close friends, as senior Ashley Jahed expresses “My friends and I saw a lot of zebras on the tram ride.” Senior Ryan Savoie added that his and his friends’ favorite exhibit was the gorilla enclosure.
Overall, our biology students were glad to have been able to apply their own knowledge in class to real-world labs outside of school, as well as enjoy a pleasant field trip in the midst of their academic journey.
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