The Daniel Hand teachers and students embarked on a school field trip to the Galapagos Islands during Spring Break. They explored wildlife, learned about geology and the island's history, understood new cultures, and enjoyed the beautiful wonders of these ancient islands with fellow people from Madison.
The Galápagos Islands are renowned for their unique ecosystems, which inspired Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. This volcanic landscape offers a living classroom for understanding wildlife, geology, and conservation. During spring break, students and teachers from the Daniel Hand science department embarked on an educational adventure to explore these islands, applying classroom lessons to real-world experiences.
Through snorkeling, cultural immersion, witnessing ecological habitats, and devouring deliciously cultured foods, the group gained invaluable and memorable insights into nature and biodiversity, making this trip a transformative journey for all the students and teachers.
Michael Docker, a teacher who took the journey, said the island's unique geology aligns perfectly with the lessons on marine science and plate tectonics that he teaches in his classroom.
"It’s hard to narrow down the most memorable," Docker said. "Swimming with sea lions, sea turtles, penguins, sharks—there were so many experiences I’ve never had before."
Elisa Brako, another science teacher from Hand, said the importance of volcanic islands and their crucial role in forming mountain ranges.
“The geology of the Galapagos aligns with what I teach,” Brako said. “Volcanic islands, plate tectonics, and formations of mountain ranges all correlate to marine science.”
Many students took a more cultured and indigenous point of view of the trip.
“The brain was swimming in Spanish,” Matea Thibeault, a junior at Hand who attended the trip, said. “The majority spoke Spanish, so I learned how to. I learned how to use Spanish in the real world.”
Thibeault said she not only learned how to build ponchos developed by alpaca wool from the top up, but she also gained an understanding of a terrain she has never witnessed before.
“It was definitely different,” she. said. “The trip gave me a new perspective on how other cultures survive and provide, and the gelato was delicious.”