By Erin Lange, 2024-2025 Bay District Schools Teacher of the Year
For over three decades, Surfside Middle School has participated in a cherished tradition: the annual Bay Days field trip. Since 1989, this fall event has provided seventh grade students with an invaluable opportunity to engage in hands-on science activities. In an era where many students are spending more and more time indoors looking at screens, Surfside remains committed to getting students outside and experiencing science in real life, not just in a textbook or watching a video.
Bay Day is more than just a day out of the classroom; it is an immersive experience! Seventh-grade students travel to St. Andrews State Park and participate in a variety of activities designed to spark curiosity and excitement about the bay ecosystem. From exploring the seagrass beds and using chemistry skills to test the water, to using microscopes to investigate tiny creatures too small to see with the naked eye, every aspect of this trip is designed to connect what students learn in the classroom with real-world applications, making learning meaningful and memorable. Students even learn about plastic pollution and give back to the park by picking up trash along the beach.
This year, Surfside has partnered with Emerald and Forgotten Coast Adventures to create an even more organized, immersive, and enriching experience. Emerald and Forgotten Coast Adventures is a non-profit organization that provides hands-on field trips and experiences to local students. Through dedicated staff and volunteers, they are able to provide public schools with access to this program free of charge, and for private and homeschool groups at very reasonable rates.
Surfside’s dedication to Bay Day (and its spring sister program “Wet Week” which takes place at the Gulf) reflects a broader commitment to providing Bay County students with a well-rounded education. The Bay Day and Wet Week programs were started many years ago at Surfside to cultivate a lifelong love of science and to empower students to become informed and engaged citizens of Bay County. Surfside Science Teachers are honored to carry on this tradition of making learning meaningful and exciting for students.
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