By Esther Cui
On April 4th to 5th, the 11th-grade students took an exciting trip to Six Flags Magic Mountain, leaving early Thursday morning. After a long bus ride and staying at a hotel halfway there, they arrived at UCSD University in La Jolla, California. Unfortunately, they were unable to get a tour from one of the students and instead took the time to explore the beach.
The main focus of the trip however was the visit to Six Flags Magic Mountain. The students arrived at the amusement park bright and early and stayed until it was closed at 8 PM, making the most of their time there. Rumor has it that Mr. Weiss paid anyone who would go on a thrilling roller coaster with him (most likely Superman) and Mariah took up the challenge. The most thrilling rides were Goliath with its big drops, Tasu, Viper, Apocalypse, and Ninja.
Part of their experience was to witness physics in a real world setting. The students have been studying acceleration, kinetic energy, forces, velocity, and potential energy in their physics class, and this trip provided them with a tangible experience of these concepts. The physics teacher Mrs. Hamilton commented that, “The fact that we were able to go and do this trip right before we talked about kinetic energy and potential energy made it really interesting, because then you could keep referring back to some of those sensations and the functions of the roller coasters.”
The trip to Six Flags Magic Mountain not only was an educational experience, it was also an opportunity for the students to bond with each other. The goal was to “give them some shared experiences that are really fun – getting out of the traditional school environment so they have a chance to interact.” Mrs. Hamilton thought the most rewarding part to be “getting out of school and seeing my students… in a different environment and just having fun with them, and being able to apply something we learned in the classroom to something that’s fun, and not just doing math problems.”
The breath-taking drops and the amazingly terrifying fear and adrenaline that runs through your veins is surely something to look forward to in the near future.