AP Environmental Science students went on a pair of trips to Airfield Falls Trailhead & Conservation Park to gain a greater understanding of how proposed development and human construction would impact the site of the Trinity Walk and how the ecosystem worked as an interconnected system. The AP Environmental Science class attended for a reason that really put them into perspective of what their class was about.With the amount of research that was required to be collected for their developing research project, it gave many of them a realization of how they were working for an Advanced Placement course and not just there for the fun of being out of class.
As many classes at Brewer High School are participating in a series of off campus events, academic or just for the fun and experience of it, one up and coming course recently went on their own outstanding field trip. The Trinity trails is a highly popular spot among those in the city of Fort Worth and has created a great opportunity for Brewer's students. The AP Environmental Science class attended for a reason that really put them into perspective of what their class was about.
"Being on a field trip for fun, you wouldn’t have any productive expectations," junior Casey Harrell said. "This AP class field trip showed me that although we do get that excitement of being out of school, our main goal is to observe the environment and put what we’ve been learning into practice."
Additionally, each student collected extensive research from observing the environment and how the site came to
be. From each organism interacting with one another to how the site was built and how humans had an impact on the development of it.
"I observed the ways manmade items and construction affected how healthy the site was environmentally, and how the genetic and species biodiversities were mostly affected from the manmade changes due to the pollutants and destruction added to the site," junior Peyton Leonguerrero said.
With the course being such a challenging, hands-on experience, it was greatly appreciated as students are being given the opportunity to observe the environment
around them firsthand, and comparing what was man made to what Mother Nature had created.
"In APES, having the opportunity to take our lessons outside is important so we can apply what we’ve learned in the classroom and observe our environment to understand the present issues and how to address them," junior Olivia Adkins said.
Having this as the first field trip of the year in the course, and even for many of the students, the expectations for this trip varied from student to student. Some of the classmates expected the trip to be boring and only there for academic purposes, meanwhile for others, they didn't know what to expect to come from it.
"I expected the trip to be challenging because I thought we had to do two projects during the trip," senior Alex Paduano said. "The trip was much more fun than anticipated because it allowed me to breathe fresh air and bond with classmates."
Despite the different expectations, the reality of what happened during the field trip was a different outcome. Every student that attended was able to learn something new on the trip. Whether it was something simple like how to measure how tall a tree was, or how the ecosystem around them was specifically affected by human activity, there was something for everyone to discover.
"The most interesting thing I learned at this field trip was how connected the system had to be to be able to make the ecosystem sustainable and how the construction that was already made to the site made an impact," Leonguerrero said.
There are a variety of ways to teach and a variety of ways to learn, it’s always important to expand your horizons in methods for both. While a field trip might sound like a vacation as opposed to an opportunity to gain new knowledge, many students who attended would disagree.
“I would like to say that it was a very educational trip that also helped with connecting with nature if they haven’t for a while,” Leonguerrero said.
Everyone has different learning styles and a field trip might be the opportunity for you to express yours. The APES course has done a great job in covering different learning styles and it might be the best science course for you. So go ape for apes.
