A cohort of 29 pupils in Years 9-12, accompanied by Mrs Bradshaw, Head of Science, Mr Boyle and Miss Thorpe, Teachers of Biology, and Ms Halfhide, Healthcare Assistant, spent a week in Florida on an immersive, educational and fun trip full of science activities. Discover what they did during this exciting trip – our first international excursion for sometime – below.

Day Six

After a late morning and pool time we headed for SeaWorld. It was a fun packed day with a variety of roller coaster and water rides as well as Dolphin, Orca and Sealion shows which brought home the importance of caring for our oceans. A spectacular light and firework display was a fabulous finale to a wonderful week and we all have some great memories to take home.

Day Five

Today we had an absolutely awesome day and a once in a lifetime opportunity to swim with the manatees in Crystal River. It was a truly memorable experience as we saw and heard these gentle giants grazing on sea grass in their natural habitats. Catfish and turtles were also spotted in the water and we saw areas where natural springs bubble up from the sea bed. A short dip in the pool for some and then on to Dave and Busters for dinner and arcade games for our evening entertainment.

Day Four

Today we visited the Clearwater Marine Aquarium which is a rescue center for dolphins, turtles and manatees. After a short boat trip into the near by bay (and a close encounter with a dolphin) we headed into the classroom for a dolphin identification session, a mock cetacean rescue session and a very successful squid dissection. We had chance to look around the aquarium where we met the recused dolphins, sea turtles and touched a stingray.

Day Three

After a poolside breakfast we headed off for an airboat ride with Wild Florida on the very edge of the Everglades. Flora and fauna was in abundance and we saw alligators, herons, lotus and lily flowers and even a cow from a nearby ranch. The afternoon was spent with some downtime by the pool before we headed to Wonder Works for a pizza dinner with a magic show and had a go at some light hearted but mind boggling puzzles, tasks and challenges. Good fun was had by all and it was a great way to round off the day.

Day Two

Wow! What a fabulous time we have had today at The Kennedy Space Center. We have seen the Saturn V rocket that took the Apollo astronauts to the Moon. Next came the Atlantis Space Shuttle that had flown 33 missions. Rocket parks and immersive cinema all helped to make a memorable day which was rounded off by a poolside dinner at our hotel in Orlando.

Day One

Today was our rest day following our travel and we had a relaxing day at Cocoa Beach. We had a paddle in the sea, played volleyball and enjoyed a spot of shopping. Mr Boyle wrote a fabulous quiz to round the day off.