On Thursday, December 5, the NCIS Zoo Crew ventured forth with 22 students and 6 staff for a day at the world famous San Diego Zoo.
The team made sandwiches and packed picnic lunches for all to enjoy - crediting their Culinary Program. Staff and students travelled from the Oceanside Transit Center and rode the Coaster to the 215 Bus, and then back again.
Students were able to explore the zoo and come face to face with various animals including but not limited to giraffes, hippos, and baboons. Along with all the fun, the trip also supported upcoming NCIS ALS Themes for LP5 “Protecting the Planet” and LP8 “Climate Justice for All." Conservation is a core mission of the San Diego Zoo as climate change and human encroachment on environments – deforestation, mining, poaching, degradation, and depletion of freshwater, as examples – threaten wildlife and natural habitat worldwide. Educational information displayed throughout the San Diego Zoo habitats provides information about the various species as well as human threats to their survival in their natural environments.
NCIS staff each led smaller groups of students on the field trip supporting student learning and engagement as students need little encouragement, as their natural curiosity takes hold.
"New learning is built upon prior learning, so the zoo experience serves as a scaffold for the NCIS ALS Experience," said NCIS Principal Craig Lewis.
It is also true that many at-promise students come from socio-economic circumstances where opportunities for visiting zoos, museums, and other cultural centers may not come at all, or are certainly less frequent than for students from more privileged environments. So, SIATech’s support for these kinds of adventures is in keeping with our commitment to equity.
