With the 2024 school year approaching an end, the Spanish Club quickly scheduled an end-of-the-year event at the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium. Students spent Saturday, May 18 driving down and touring the habitats filled with Kunekune pigs, flamingos, Siberian tigers, black rhinos and more fascinating creatures.
The event could only bus 47 students, so spots filled instantaneously; in fact, when the list was first posted, the names almost exceeded double the eligible positions. However, the money was done a week prior, and some individuals who signed up needed to unregister due to other commitments; this allowed some on the waiting list to attend. Likewise, the fee, $15, was due two weeks prior.
When the day came, students and two parent chaperones arrived at the school at 8am to load the buses and head out at 8:30. When they arrived, students broke off into groups of three or more and set off towards the Forest Passage, the Jungle Odyssey, the Aquarium, or the other biome-specific regions the zoo has to offer. The sealions specifically were a big hit since the majority of interviewed students expressed that they were their favorite animal attraction. After all was said and done, the students boarded the bus again in order to arrive at Las Velas, “The Candles,” to end the day with a hearty dinner.
Sra. Latronica, the head of the Spanish Club and the organizer of this event, was worried about the length of the event since the event consisted of approximately eleven hours total and five and a half hours at the zoo.
To her surprise, there were no kids complaining or lounging around waiting to go home. In fact, students found other means of entertainment than just gazing at the exhibits like enjoying conversations with each other at the dining hall.
Sra. Latronica expressed that this event was a big success. Normally, the Spanish club books another event for the last trip, but due to difficulties was unable to obtain any positions. In prior years, the Spanish club’s final event was a Gateway Clipper Cruise that drifted down the Pittsburgh rivers, and Sra. Latronica wants to do this event more than the zoo because of its growing popularity in Poland High School; however, she mentioned that some students enjoyed the zoo just as much as the cruise.
Ultimately, the cruise is more optimal for the final trip because “it is more geared towards the Spanish club” compared to just a zoo trip, so even though next year looks promising for those ready to party in Pittsburgh, the zoo was a great alternative.
