The Academy Seniors’ (almost) Field Trip to the Nixon Library

On Wednesday, December 7th, the Academy Seniors got on the bus to go to the Nixon Library. However, this trip did not go completely according to plan. Due to criminal activity, there was such a delay with traffic that it would have been impossible to make it to the Nixon Library in time for the scheduled tour. So, we made a detour to the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanical Garden, and the staff at the Arboretum was nice enough to let the students go in and tour for free.

The students split into three groups and toured for three hours. They explored all of the different exhibits. Each exhibit was named for a certain international area and featured the native plants and art of the region. Some of the exhibits included Africa and Australia, as well as specialized gardens for certain types of plants, such as roses or aquatic plants. There was a kitchen exhibit that featured a variety of herbs, and the students learned about them and their different uses. They also saw the house that Lucky Baldwin, who donated the land later in life, built for his 16-year-old bride.

Besides the gorgeous scenery and plants, the gardens were also filled with peacocks. Senior Grace Gilani commented that “Mr. Domke jokingly tried to get me to pet a peacock.” However for all of you reading this, you should know that peacocks, especially males during mating season, are aggressive and should not be approached; however during the field trip, the peacocks minded their own business and the students were content to watch.

Senior Bruno Perez said that it was ironic that they went to the gardens because the night before he had watched a movie that had certain scenes filmed there. Aubrey Domke stated that “even though it wasn’t the Nixon Library, it was still so much fun!”

After exploring the gardens, the students were free to relax and spend time with their friends: a much needed stress reliever before the upcoming finals week. When the trip was over, the students went to their classic lunch location: In-N-Out. In the end, though they were unable to go to the Nixon Library, the trip ended up being a pleasant surprise and a fun trip for everyone. Plus, the Seniors now get an extra field trip to the Nixon next semester.

#fieldtrip #academy