Colton students learn and have fun at California Academy of Sciences

It's a trip that Walter Colton Middle School Science teacher Justine Hochstaedter organizes every year -- and that students happily vote to take as their year-end celebratory trip.

It's a $10,000-trip for which Hochstaedter spends many hours fundraising -- to bring prices down and make it affordable to students. The 10-hour trip translates into countless hours of arranging transportation, purchasing tickets, organizing groups, and fundraising.

All in  Hochstaedter's spare time.

"It is many, many extra hours of work," Hochstaedter wrote in an email. "I do get the support of my school site, our PTA, from the principal Kim Cooper and fellow teachers. I couldn't do it without them,"

This year, 214 students took the trip, along with 40 chaperons (10 Colton staff, 30 parents) in five passenger tour buses. What a odyssey!

They all had a great time, she said of the trip in early May. That's how Hochstaedter celebrated teacher's day. What a class act!

Here's some of the testimonials Ms. Hochstaedter shared with me, and now with you. Enjoy!

“One of my favorite exhibits was the rainforest. I really enjoyed the butterfies. I also like the planetarium show and the glow-in-the-dark fish. This was one of my favorite field trips. I will never forget this experience!” – Ella

“We had a great time at the museum. We even felt an earthquake. We learned so much that we did not know at the California Academy of Sciences.” – Ashley

“My favorite part is that there is a rainforest and there are animals and fish I have not seen before. I got to learn about them. Without your donation of money we wouldn’t have been able to go”. – Fernando

“I had fun beyond comparison to any other museum. I didn’t know that fish could get so big or what an earthquake felt like. Plus it was amazing how big the building was. Thank you for helping us”. – Devin

“Thank you for your donation to our school. On this trip I reconnected with friends, ate delicious food and most importantly I learned a lot about earthquakes and different kinds of animals. I absolutely loved the rainforest. I saw butterflies I had not seen before. I learned about how earthquakes start. I now have a better understanding of faults and how an earthquake feels>” – Ingrid

“A big, big thank you from me and my classmates. Because of your donation some students who couldn’t afford the trip went because they had to pay less money. Thank you for making our day.” – Hashir

“I had many favorite exhibits, for example the giant pendulum that swings and hits a peg every 39 minutes. The sign said it wouldn’t move unless the Earth was spinning, which I found extremely interesting.” - Mattie

“I really enjoyed the museum and I learned a lot about how earthquakes happen. It’s very interesting. It happens when two tectonic plates moves past each other.” - James

“I really enjoyed watching the planetarium show. It felt like I was flying. I was learning and entertained at the same time. I will definitely remember this for the rest of my life”! - Jasmin

“I want to say thank you to the donors and chaperones who helped make this trip happen for us. I got to see a lot of really cool things and learned a lot of new things. I had a great time seeing the white alligator which I took many pictures of. I had a great time with my friends. The museum was really big and entertaining. I definitely want to come back again.” - Robbie