I was fortunate enough to be able to supervise a group of students from South Pasadena High School on a trip to Yosemite in the spring of 2012.  We backpacked in the Hetch Hetcy valley in Yosemite National Park for five days, and in preparation did some practice hikes in the San Gabriel mountains a short drive from our school.  
  

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Students learned perseverance, self-reliance and team work through the experience of being out in the wilderness without their parents, their smart phones and with no choices but to continue on even when they were tired.  It was a great way to reinvigorate my relationship with some of my students outside of the classroom.  After months cooped up indoors together, looking forward to this trip gave the last month of school a different tone than usual.  

"Yosemite was one of the most memorable times of my high school career, and it was fun spending it together.  i enjoyed all the talks we had and funny times we shared."
-C.R. class of 2012