In October, Haywood High School students with an interest in science had an opportunity to go on the Dauphin Island trip. These students spent a week in Dauphin Island, Alabama, a barrier reef, learning biology lessons, ranging from squid dissection to oceanography.

The first activity was a visit to an alligator farm where students saw alligators from 5 inches to 15 feet long. Students participated in many labs and visited many historical sights. They collected plankton and studied it under a microscope in a plankton lab.

Captain Rodney and the AE Veril, a fishing boat took students for a ride where they saw the many diverse species that are found in the ocean. Most students began every day watching the sunrise from the pier, and the group concluded the last night by watching the sunset. It was a great trip that provided hands-on learning and fun, the students said.