On Monday, April 27, the fifth grade class embarked on the inaugural Lower School Outdoor Education trip. After a ferry ride to Catalina Island, the fifth graders spent two nights at the Catalina Environmental Leadership Program (CELP), an outdoor environmental camp that offers various waterfront and outback opportunities for children.
This trip was launched by Lower School Director Theresa Tran and Director of Outdoor Education Laura Marion. Tran previously taught at Francis Parker School in San Diego, where fifth graders visited the Pali Institute, an overnight camp in the San Bernardino mountains. After joining Poly’s Lower School, Tran decided to bring outdoor education to Poly’s fifth graders.
“There’s something really special about a culmination for the Lower School experience as a whole, K-5,” Tran said. “What we’re doing is a great foundation for what’s happening in 6-8 and 9-12.”
Together, Marion and Tran designed the trip as a chance for fifth graders to test their independence through hands-on science, outdoor exploration and environmental stewardship. For many students, this trip was their first overnight experience without their families.
Fifth grader Neve Dhadwal explained, “All the teachers and the counselors were really open and supportive. I was a little nervous at first, but then I got distracted by all the cool activities, and then I just stopped worrying about it.”
“I had Ms. [Linda] Breen for my cabin. She was encouraging, like she was pushing us past the comfort zone, but not sending people into the panic zone,” fifth grader Aria Samtani said.
During their time at CELP, students snorkeled, kayaked, and hiked around Catalina. Students also spotted plenty of wildlife, including leopard sharks and pelicans.
Dhadwal noted, “I really liked how it was very outdoorsy, and I got to do a lot of things for the first time, like snorkeling.”
“The first snorkel was super, super cold, and I was tempted not to go on the night snorkel the same day,” fifth grader Andrew Chemerinsky said. “But then the teachers told us what to expect and how cool it would be, and I went in. It turned out that it wasn’t that cold, and I’m so glad I did it because that was probably my favorite thing.”
Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Michaela Mares-Tamayo reflected on her fifth grade child Max’s experiences on the trip: “I personally would never have been able or known how to take him kayaking. But the fact that he got to do it here at school feels like a really huge gift to me as a parent.”
“It was 10 out of 10 for sure, because the counselors were kind and the teachers were kind too. It was just really fun,” fifth grader Ajeet Singh said.
