8th Grade Comets Team Field Trip to Bridgewater State University
"Expect More. Achieve More."
Our second year of Expecting More and Achieving More with our Field Trips to BSU.
On Thursday, October 19, 2017, our eighth grade Comets team visited Bridgewater State University (as our 8th Grade Apollos team did on Monday, October 23). It was the brainchild of Ms. Cathy Kubek, Ms. Tricia Flaherty, and Ms. Nichole Flounders as we are into the fourth year of reading the nonfiction book, We Beat the Street about the three doctors and their struggle to make it from humble beginnings to live out their dreams and become doctors.
In the story, these doctors never keep their eyes off the prize of working hard, achieving all they want, working their way through school and college including medical school to do what some might have thought as impossible as they earn their degrees as doctors.
When discussing college with our eighth graders, Ms. Kubek and Ms. Flaherty noticed that not many of our students had ever been on a college campus, and so a field trip was planned starting last school year in 2016. Students get to walk around campus for a tour as if they would be in-coming freshmen.
What a sensational day of learning in action.
Thank you so much to all the faculty and staff who went on this trip as well as all the parent volunteer-chaperones. Thank you to our NMS PTA who helped keep the price down for students by supplementing the transportation costs. Thank you.
Please check out some of the pictures from the day as well as the students' own reflections on going on the tour and how they were influenced, inspired, and invigorated.
Here are some highlights with more full reflections from Ms. Kubek's class below:
“It changed my way of thinking about college, giving me an inside view of college. I now really want to attend college and feel it for myself.” (Gavin)
“I am going to MHS next year, and I have an idea of what I’d like to do after I graduate. … I'd like to apply and hopefully be accepted to a prestigious college such as MIT, Harvard, or Yale assuming I have a GPA around 3.8 or over. If this doesn't work out, which it is very possible it won’t, I'd like to apply to BSU, now that I have a bit of insight on the university. I would like to major in theoretical particle physics, and perhaps even shoot for a Ph.D. I Loved the trip to BSU because it enlightened me deeply on the concept and inner workings of college, it was very informative and entertaining to tour the campus, and it made me truly want to pursue a degree in college, maybe even that one specifically.” (Jayce)
“This trip to BSU was very fun and had many things I liked and that inspired me. After going there, it made me think about what my future may hold.” (Julie)
“Seeing all the students making their way to class and seeing them working hard during class inspired me. Nobody was goofing around or not doing their work they all knew what they had to get done and they just did it. Also hearing about our tour guide Nate's college life inspired me too, he was in many clubs and those can take up a lot of time but he still managed to get all of his work done.” (Sophia)
Bridgewater State University
Julie M.
What I see myself doing when I graduate high school is going to college to become a mechanical engineer or a behaviorist. This is because I like engineering and math, along with helping people.
The things that inspired me were the amount of things that are there to help people. For example, they have these blue poles that allow you to call police if there is an emergency or if you don't feel safe. Another thing that inspired me was the devotion some people have for education. Our tour guide was from Conway, New Hampshire. Since he lived in New Hampshire and not Massachusetts, it cost him more money. Even though it cost more, he still came here with majoring in becoming a pilot. Some medical problems though made him have to change his major. This shows the inspiration our tour guide had on me. In conclusion, this trip to BSU was very fun and had many things I liked and that Inspired me. After going there, it made me think about what my future may hold.
Bridgewater State University
Sophia R.
My favorite thing to hear about was all the different clubs that were there, some of them were odd clubs but sound really fun to be a part of. We also learned that sororities are not full of parties and fun like many people think they are. Our tour guide, Nate, told us that when you join a sorority it's like joining a little family who you become very close with over time. These were my favorite things to learn about during the tour. Seeing all the students making their way to class and seeing them working hard during class inspired me. Nobody was goofing around or not doing their work they all knew what they had to get done and they just did it. Also hearing about Nate's college life inspired me too, he was in many clubs and those can take up a lot of time but he still managed to get all of his work done. Also seeing the statue of the youngest Boston Marathon victim inspired me to be more positive and spread more peace. It was very nice for the school to build that of him in his memory because it most likely inspires many other people just like it inspires me. These are all the things from the trip that inspired me. When I graduate from high school I would like to see me going to college and begin nursing classes. I want to meet a really good group of friends and get through the long years of college together. During college I would like to meet a boy who is trying to be a nurse too because we could have similar work hours. Also while in college I want to intern at a doctor's office just to help them out and see what it's like to work there. After graduating from college I would like to take on a job that can make me even more skillful and slowly become more and more advanced. After becoming more and more skilled I would like to take on a full time job and succeed with that.
BSU Field Trip
Jayce E.
The thing that intrigued me the most was the large building dedicated to education, because I saw many different things such as lounges, what seemed to be studying centers, chemistry classes, math classes, and more. This intrigued me because one of my favorite things to do is study subjects I'm interested in such as science and math, so being a part of a college that had those things would be very fun for me. I was also intrigued by the residential (east) half of the college campus because there were many dormitory buildings that were described as very nice living quarters for students who wanted an on campus living experience. The touring of them made me want to go to a college with nice enough dorms to live in happily while I'm pursuing a degree in my desired subject.
I am going to Middleboro High School next year, and I have an idea of what I’d like to do after I graduate. I’d like to have a job during high school to save money while I'm still getting free schooling, so that after I can perhaps buy a car, or even just have many stored away to pay for the many college fees. I'd like to apply and hopefully be accepted to a prestigious college such as MIT, Harvard, or Yale assuming I have a GPA around 3.8 or over through high school. If this doesn't work out, which it is very possible it won’t, I'd like to apply to Bridgewater State University, now that I have a bit of insight on the university. I would like to major in theoretical particle physics, and perhaps even shoot for a PHD. I Loved the trip to Bridgewater State University because it enlightened me deeply on the concept and inner workings of college, it was very informative and entertaining to tour the campus, and it made em truly want to pursue a degree in college, maybe even that one specifically.
BSU Trip
Gavin E.
Overall the trip to BSU was very good. It changed my way of thinking about college, giving me an inside view of college. I now really want to attend college and feel it for myself. The things that I found interesting were the opportunities. The tour guide, Carter, explained that there were many opportunities to get involved and make the most of your time. Activities were held on the weekend, many clubs are available, and sports are also available. That is what interested me most.
I liked many things in what I saw on the trip to BSU. I liked to food offered there. I like the idea of living in a dorm and living college life. But most of all, I like the idea that we could do what we wanted, be free and experience life as an adult. Living in a dorm with all the new friends you would make. There wasn’t anything I didn’t like about BSU, it was all new and exciting. Now I really want to visit college. I may go there, I may not, but that tour just made me want to go more and quicker, but I still have high school too. That is what I thought of BSU and the idea of college.
