As the students stepped from the vans and began to scatter down to Hollister Ranch Beach, the creatures and organisms they had studied in their AP Biology and Marine Science classes began to come to life.
Students were divided into small groups where they were accompanied by a teacher and a marine biology guide.
In their small groups, they set out to explore the Hollister Ranch tide pools.
Hollister Ranch is a 14,600 acre ranch community that has “succeeded in maintaining the spirit of Western exploration and adventure.” (hollis- terranch.com).
The afternoon was filled with discovering and learning about the different organisms, structures, and plants that live in the tide pools.
Various species of starfish, sea urchins, sea anemones, and hermit crabs were ob- served.
Students also saw mussels, sea hares, and limpeds.
They also explored the tide pool inhabitants through touch, sight, and taste.
“We go mostly because it’s a preserve and so the amount of diversity that is there is so much higher than our normal local beaches,” said Science Department Chair and Biology instructor Ms. Staci Richard.
Students learned the scientific names of each organism, what actions they perform to survive, how they eat, and how they protect themselves from predators.
“It was so fun to be able to see and touch everything that we have been learning about,” said senior Bella Taron.
“Being a hands-on-learn- er like myself makes it hard sometimes to be intrigued just within classroom, but getting to go to the tide pools and hold all the things I learned about was fantastic,” said sopho- more Hannah White.