Sophomores at Santaluces kicked off the month of February with a series of unprecedented class trips to visit and tour Palm Beach State College’s Lake Worth Campus. Students were grouped according to their English teacher and different groups visited each day for a week. A field trip of this magnitude was no easy task to organize, but for Assistant Principal Ms. Mawali, who handled the lion’s share of planning, scheduling and organizing the experience for more than 600 sophomore students, it was definitely worthwhile.
Once they arrived on campus, students sat comfortably in the Duncan Theater and listened to an engaging presentation about the multitude of programs and courses that are offered at Palm Beach State. Following the presentation, students were separated into three groups and each group was paired with two tour guides who took them around campus for a closer look at some of the programs available, including the machinery, the welding ,and the HVAC shops.
Students were attentive and viscerally engaged seeing some of the hands-on job training as it was happening in real time. One sophomore, Gabe, noted that being able to see the campus and the particular trades that were offered had him more interested in attending Palm Beach State. He added that it had him feeling a little more motivated about school in general.
Ms. Harms, a 10th grade English teacher, who attended the trip with her students, shared her thoughts as well. “I think this trip was beneficial in so many ways for our students. For some students, it was nice just to see a local college campus and hear about all the programs; for some students, I think it might be the motivation they need to continue staying on track to work toward the goal of post-secondary education. However, I also think it’s incredibly important for students to know there are a lot of other options besides traditional four-year programs, and I think Palm Beach State did a nice job showcasing that for our students.”
