This summer, six Shaler Area students experienced biology and culture in a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Galápagos Islands. Middle school students Colby Mine, Skylar Mine, Nick Mulkerin, Paige Peterson, Katie Polochak, and Dillon Stegman, led by Teacher Dennis Reagle, first stopped in Quito, Ecuador. While in Quito, students toured a chocolate factory, Independence Square, noteworthy church architecture, and sampled local hand-made empanadas.

Students then eagerly traveled to the Galapagos Islands to learn about its geologic and community history. On San Cristobal island, students explored the island through snorkeling excursions that included swimming with sea lions, turtles, eels, sharks, seahorses, and thousands of fish. On the island of Santa Cruz, students viewed the Charles Darwin Research station, explored old volcanoes, spelunked through ancient lava tubes, and hiked through several ecological biomes, finding tortoises living in the wild. Students visited a tortoise breeding center, where they were able to see the preserved remains of Lonesome George, who lived for over 100 years as the last member of his species, before dying in 2012. On Isabela Island, students experienced the dazzling range of natural beauty of the island, with trips to the beaches, swimming in the grotto of Las Grietas canyon, and witnessing flamingos, blue footed boobies, and the only penguin that lives North of the Equator living free in their native habitats.