Every year, the Greeley West IB Sciences take a trip to Rocky Mountain National Park to learn more about their certain class, do collaborative projects and get an idea of how the IA works. However, this year the Group 4 trip took place at West’s campus.
This was due to a number of factors, but the main reasons being the difference in classes this year and also funding needs that were not met.
Mr. Ryan Pace, one of the many IB Science teachers said, “IB Chemistry and IB Environmental Science are the two biggest reasons we even leave for this project due to the outdoorsy experience it brings for those specific lessons. So, with our numbers being so high in the Sports and Exercise classes instead, we didn’t see why we needed to leave when we have all the equipment for that class right here at West.”
Pace explained that the decision was also partly financial. “As a department, we do fund everything ourselves,” Pace explained. “Along with the numbers problem, we just weren’t able to come up with the money to cover the expenses of transportation, the park cost and also getting lunch for the students.”
However this did not stop the trip from being a fun and successful day. Junior Abi Ortegon, who is taking the IB Sports and Exercise class said, “Even if it wasn’t where it usually is and it being on one of our days off, it was still so much fun to get to meet and work with new people and also gain new insight.”
The students participated in four different experiements. One dealt with a change in heart rate before and after exercise. Another was about how multi-tasking impacted effectiveness.
Oretgon put science aside when she critiqued the day. ““Other than the boys eating all of the pepperoni pizza and not leaving anyone else any, I have no complaints. It was definitely a ten out of ten experience,” she explained.
