Marine Ecology students fall in love with Morro Bay

Juniors Kris Paulino, Jordan Gunderson, Rachel Hughes, and Ryan Triplett take a break from unpacking their car and setting up their tents in the brisk weather at the campgrounds.

Juniors Kris Paulino, Jordan Gunderson, Rachel Hughes, and Ryan Triplett take a break from unpacking their car and setting up their tents in the brisk weather at the campgrounds.

Monday, May 31, through Friday, June 4, Mr. Cadiz’s and Mrs. Gray’s Marine Ecology classes camped at Morro Bay State Park. The camping trip consisted of daily walks to different areas around the bay to help studnets understand and study marine ecosystems and their inhabitants.

On Tuesday, the group went to the mudflats at the bay to find and identify different life forms that survive there. However, after time to explore, most students took part in a game of mud football and red rover.

“The mudflats were amazing,” exclaimed junior Alissa Neal. “Not many people get the chance to visit, let alone do research and play football, in this kind of place so it was special.”

After spending time at the mudflats, the group headed into the harbor and kayaked across to sand dunes where they walked up and down the beach observing different shells and other wildlife.

Students pose for a picture after a kayaking trip across the harbor to sand dunes where they spent some time on the beach identifying sea shells

Students pose for a picture after a kayaking trip across the harbor to the sand dunes where they spent some time on the beach identifying sea shells.

“When I was a kid I used to just pick up the shells off the beach and think they were just made for no reason,” said junior Barbara Dolen. ”But now I understand why they are shaped or colored the way they are, and that’s pretty neat.” (more…)

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Earth Day Extravaganza

Juniors Devan Owens, Curtis Bowser, Lauren Briones, Ryan Triplett, Alissa Neal and Skyler Lodwig all pose for a picture with Mrs. Gray during their Earth Day Party.

Juniors Devan Owens, Curtis Bowser, Lauren Briones, Ryan Triplett, Alissa Neal and Skyler Lodwig all pose for a picture with Mrs. Gray during their Earth Day Party.

All over this blue and green planet, Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 2010. Mrs. Gray’s fourth period class decided to honor this not-quite-holiday with a belated Earth Day party this past Thursday, April 29.

“Earth Day should be more recognized, it’s an easy way to make a positive impact on the environment” explains junior Barbara Dolen, who says she has been taking shorter showers and turning off the faucet while brushing her teeth in order to conserve water.

Juniors Jordan Gunderson and Rachel Hughes also admitted they have been doing their part by remembering to unplug their phone chargers every night and using reusable water bottles instead of plastic bottles. Mrs. Gray has also been advocating the importance of recycling by keeping a recycling bin for plastic bottles, cans, and unwanted paper in the classroom.

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Academic Decathlon completes first round of competition

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Juniors (from left to right) Paul Dingus, Daniel Choy, Kristina Nguyen, and Kara Koyamatsu do some last minute preparations to their speeches as competition time draws closer.

Tesoro’s Academic Decathlon team traveled to Tustin High School on Saturday to compete in the first of a two day competition against about 40 other Orange County schools.

Escorted by coaches Ms. Thompson and Mrs. Gray, the team consists of 20 students.

From noon until late afternoon, the dedicated decathletes competed in three of  ten categories, including essay, speech, and interview. Sophomore Nick Meilak stated,

“Speech is by far the most difficult subject because of how nerve wracking it is to stand up in front of judges and talk,” sophomore Nick Meilak said.

The Titans did a wonderful job of representing Tesoro at such a prestigious event. Their next and last competition date, where they compete in the last seven categories, is next Saturday, February 6, at Westminster High School.

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Seniors Chris Alley and Helen Cai pose for the camera and demonstrate their pride in representing their school and their excitement for the competition.

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