Students from the ACE Academy received a scholarship from Mountain & Sea Adventures and traveled to their camp at Emerald Bay on Catalina Island.  This year, storm-whipped waves forced our boat to turn around and head to their mainland camp above the Cabrillo Aquarium in San Pedro for the 1st night.  We spent a wonderful day at the Aquarium, learning about the organisms we would see on the island and groups of students competed to create the best design plan for a new "green" ecologically sustainable island.  The next morning, we headed out on calm seas and spent the next 2 days kayaking, exploring green architecture and organic gardening techniques, hiking the chaparral, participating in fish, plankton and invertebrate labs, dissecting squids and best of all - snorkeling in the RICHEST kelp beds on the island.  A unique experience, never to be forgotten!

This year, ACE 10th graders and ACE Ambassadors again traveled to the Mountain Sea Adventure Camp at Emerald Bay, one of the most beautiful snorkeling sites on the island.  The first day, we had a major detour: due to El Nino storms, ocean winds and waves were so high and the boat so unstable that we had to turn back and spend the rest of the day at Cabrillo Marine Aquarium and at the MSA camp above the aquarium.  Students explored tidepools and developed and presented terrific land-use proposals for an offshore Island.  The next morning, we sailed across calm seas, spotting many sea lions and 3 species of dophins and arrived at MSA in time for a kayak and a marvelous snorkel.  Students spent the rest of their time exploring kelp beds, fish and invertebrate labs, new ways to "go green," island ecology hikes and a wonderful campfire. The MSA staff were knowledgeable, fun and inspiring and we thank them for the grant that enabled us to have the trip of a lifetime!