Juniors and seniors in marine biology at Avalon High were selected to go on a special field trip this year thanks to the Maritime Outreach Foundation. Late last month, they toured both the Maritime Law Enforcement Center for the Los Angeles Harbors, and the USS Iowa battleship in San Pedro Harbor. At the law enforcement center, students met and listened to men and women who have taken a variety of educational and career paths to end up in the field of maritime law enforcement. They heard about the wide variety of organizations that are invited to train their members at the facility, including Avalon Harbor Patrol, the U.S. Navy, and some fire departments. Students were able to board and inspect vessels used to carry out law enforcement duties in the LA harbors, and were given time to talk with and ask questions individually with some officers. After receiving goodie bags and having several photo sessions, they boarded the bus to San Pedro’s Ports of Call, where they enjoyed picnic lunches. The last stop was at the impressively massive ship, USS Iowa.
There, they were given a thorough guided tour and felt like they were actually experiencing the history they had been learning about World War II and other wartime eras. Overall, the students were thrilled and grateful to be given such a wonderful opportunity to see and understand two significant aspects of the harbors.
Here’s a complete list of those who attended:
Seniors (graduating this year): Blanca Alvarez Caraveo, Clara Alvarez Caraveo, Diana Alvarez Caraveo, Ana Macias Silva, Nathaniel Breese, Christian Arteaga
Juniors: Mackenzie Phelps, Veronika Danielyan, Marcos Chavoya Cervantes, Jason Cisneros, Tong Tong Song, Justus Ramming, Miguel Bonilla, Azariah Dominguez, Jeniece Neville, Diego Herrera, Alejandro Herrera, Venus Meza, Rebekah Perea
Chaperones: Angelica Gonzalez (Avalon School principal) and Devi Nathan (Marine Biology teacher)
