What great fieldwork! If your child was anything like me, I spent much of the weekend recovering from our fun, amazing fieldwork. If your child did not tell you already, here are a few highlights:

  • Learning about veterinary genetics/forensics at UC Davis
  • Falling asleep to waves crashing about 100 yards away from camp
  • Listening to lectures from renowned genetics professors, exploring real research labs, and conducting a forensics investigation at Stanford University
  • Arriving at Camp (from Stanford) to find that our tents cannot take 30 mph sustained winds, and having to work together to find a solution
  • Exploring Invitae (a genetic testing company) and learning what it takes to start a company, test for genetic diseases, and create a campaign to raise awareness about a genetic disease
  • Playing on the beach and discovering who the fastest person in the crew is
  • And finally (if you had any energy left), discovering the Exploratorium and learning about all different types of science

I am so proud of the crew during this fieldwork. At every stop we made, guides and experts complemented us on how polite, respectful, and knowledgeable the crew was. The kids were a great example of the type of students who attend SELS.

None of this would have been possible without the hard work that was put in by parents. First of all Thank you to Marcy, Heidi, Jesse, Rachel, Katie, Kimmie, and Shelly for being the drivers/chaperones on the trip. They were fantastic at battling traffic, helping set-up the camp/kitchen, and always being positive (especially when the wind almost blew us away). I also want to thank Dianna and Katie for shopping for all the food. Also Amanda, Kari, and Janice for precooking/preparing food for the trip.

Lastly, I want to thank Marcy again for being the crew’s fieldwork coordinator. Marcy makes all of our fieldwork go smoothly and she puts in a ton of time and energy to make sure that it does. I know I speak for everyone in the crew when I say thank you Marcy for all of your help!

Now it is back to regular school and state testing. I want to remind you that the days/times for testing are:
Wednesday 5/4, 8:00-9:30
Thursday 5/5, 8:00-10:00
Tuesday 5/10, 8:00-10:00
Wednesday 5/11, 8:00-9:00

Please make sure your child is fed and well rested before coming to school on these days.