On Oct. 15, instead of attending school, upperclassmen in the Media Arts Program (MAP) spent the day in beautiful San Francisco and Alcatraz Island.

MAP juniors traveled to Alcatraz to visit learn more about Chinese immigration to America. The students have been reading “Thousand Pieces of Gold”  by Ruthanne Lum McCunn, a story about Chinese immigration in the 19th century.

“My favorite spot that we visited was the abandoned hospital that Mr. Torrens took us to,” junior Jennifer Chen said. “Other visitors wrote all over the walls and we did too.”

Along with the abandoned hospital, the juniors also visited the immigration station, which had many poems carved into the walls. Chen thought the field trip helped enhance what she was learning in class.

While the juniors were visiting Alcatraz, the seniors spent the day in San Francisco’s financial district. The seniors took a tour around the Federal Reserve and learned about the its role in controlling inflation. This complimented what students learned in economics.

In addition to visiting the Federal Reserve, the seniors also spent three hours filming around the city, asking people what made them happy. This project relates to what students are learning in AP Language; they just read the book “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley, which explores the question of happiness is.

The seniors talked to many people from different socioeconomic statuses, ranging from businessmen to homeless people. One of the questions asked was whether money can buy happiness; almost everyone interviewed said it can’t.

“It was a great opportunity to learn more about different perspectives,” senior Rebecca Lee said. “It was interesting to find that everyone agreed that you don’t have to make a lot of money to be happy.”

Both the seniors and juniors agreed that they enjoyed their field trip.

“I loved being able to work independently with my group and explore the city,” Lee said.