It’s 8:00 A.M. on a Friday morning and we’re all not knowing what to expect. Two vans pull up and we each throw our belongings under the seats and atop already packed coolers filled with our food for the next few days. Our trip to Orcas Island, WA at this point had begun.

“I was told there would be a field trip by a friend who recommended the class, and that’s what sold me on it actually,” said Florence Arias, EvCC junior and Education major.

Everett Community College is home to a wide variety of classes, classes that try their best to engage students in real-world/hands-on learning. A field trip is an effective way to equally give each and every student the opportunity to learn in an actual lab-based environment.

A long conversation-filled car and ferry ride later, we arrived at Camp Moran on Orcas Island. After a short time spent unpacking the vans, we set off on our data collecting journey, stopping at seemingly every dock located on the island over the next two days.

Lakes, ponds as well as jellyfish filled marinas and bays were among a few of our collection spots. The data collection process habitually began with a quick sketch of the surrounding environment, quickly followed by lowering a probe into the water for readings on a number of different types of measurements.

An observation on the depth of the water was recorded, as well as an evaluation on how deep the naked eye was capable of seeing into the water. Then it was time to hop back into the van and scurry our way on to the next body of water to collect even more data.  

The purpose of all of this data collection was to eventually apply it to a mapping program that was learned in the preceding weeks.

“We are supposed to do this story map thing. We basically have a display of our water sampling locations across the island to create a sort of narrative,” 

said Lora Burke, EvCC sophomore and Biology major.

When breakfast and dinner times rolled around, each group was tasked a specific meal during the weekend stay. Students flocked to the dining hall at the ringing of the old-time dinner bell, quickly devouring the mass amount of food awaiting them in the kitchen, along with the one, and only one, cookie they were allowed per meal.  

Sunday morning, the excursion came to an end. Students struck up friendships with other international students coming from the likes of the Congo to Japan, also developing a closer bond with fellow geography classmates as well.

The ferry and car ride home gave us a lot of time to reflect on how much fun the trip ended up becoming. Going in with relatively low expectations, the end result unquestionably exceeded them.

If any students are debating on whether classes with scheduled field trips are indeed actually fun, take the word from the 2018 spring Geography 205 class. Field trips are well worth all the commitment and effort.

“It was a new and different experience. It turned out even better than I thought it was going to be” said Tanny Caldwell, EvCC sophomore and Photography major.

It’s much less of a “field trip” as it turns into almost a weekend getaway or vacation of some sort. Good people, good memories, and a non-replicable learning experience that will have you searching for more and more throughout your scholastic career.

– Tristan Newsome