Field Trip!!! Cal Poly Humboldt Center Activities Works With Fortuna Elementary School District to Give 5th-8th Graders a Unique Experience

Press release from Fortuna Elementary School District:

On September 7th, 8th, 12th, and 13th, students from Fortuna Middle School and Toddy Thomas Middle School traveled to Humboldt Bay Aquatic Center and the Adorni Center to participate in team-building activities and discussions led by Cal Poly Humboldt Center Activities personnel. The purpose of this unique experience was to help students foster new friendships, open pathways to communication, and build a sense of camaraderie among students. Students engaged in activities such as kayak racing, trust paddling, and floatie polo. They took part in “Edventure quests” where they paddled around the bay to solve riddles. Not only did this activity teach students about local history, but it also inspired a discussion about what it means to be a part of a small community.

Having undergone reconfiguring for the 2022-23 school year, Fortuna Elementary School District was looking for a way to help unify their community of students. Prior to the 2022-23 school year, Toddy Thomas and Fortuna Middle were both 5th-8th grade campuses on opposite sides of the town of Fortuna. Beginning in August 2022, the schools were reconfigured and Toddy Thomas is now the 5th-6th grade campus for the district and Fortuna Middle is now the 7th-8th grade campus for the district. Toddy Thomas and Fortuna Middle School staff knew that they had to work proactively to bring cohesion to the new student groups, so they reached out to Cal Poly Humboldt Center [Activities] to create a unique opportunity for the students involved in the reconfiguration. Cal Poly Humboldt responded with a plan for the students to participate in multiple activities that only Humboldt can offer.

“I am grateful to the staff of Cal Poly Humboldt Center Arts for the opportunity to do something like that. Students had the chance to overcome fears and participate in activities that they would have never gotten the chance to do. They made memories to last a lifetime.” Dennis Finley, Fortuna Middle School Climate and Culture Ambassador.

Statement from Mat Bigham, Principal at Toddy Thomas, “Fortuna Middle School and Toddy Thomas Middle School underwent a reconfiguration for the 22/23 school year. In conjunction with the reconfiguration, both schools adopted a more restorative and trauma-informed approach to discipline. In an effort to create more community, problem-solving skills, teamwork, communication, etc, FESD worked with Center Arts through Cal Poly Humboldt to create a day of activities that required all of these facets. FESD was able to send all students from grade levels 5 – 8 to participate in these activities. This was a major effort by both schools, the school district, and Center Arts in order to give students a feeling of community, and give them skills to communicate and work with one another.“