Annual 10th Grade College Trip a Success

By Joan Olivero

As the rest of the students at Oyster Bay High School persevered through midterm week, the Class of 2022 embarked on the annual 10th Grade College Trip from January 22nd-25th. Myself included, 56 students and eight teachers and staff attended this four-day trip down south to explore campuses and gain an understanding of what different universities and colleges offer students.

Students visited many colleges and universities, including Duke University, UNC Chapel Hill, University of Virginia, George Washington University, NC State and the University of Richmond. 

OBHS Principal, Ms. Lasher, explained that this trip is very important for our students because it “allows students to gain exposure to different types of schools on the east coast.” 

Over the four days, students were able to learn more about campuses, college life, and the application process. As a 10th grader who is focused on her future, I used this as an opportunity to pose questions and narrow down my preferences.

The Class of 2022 met up with alumni of OBHS, including Emily Sarli, Michael Biggiani, Rob Zahradnik, Krista Marino, Kevin Duke, and Danny Gelebert, at multiple stops on the trip; they showed students around their respective schools and provided insight on what it was like transitioning from Oyster Bay to their current schools. 

While the main reason for the the 10th grade college trip is to begin to formulate an idea of what type of college a student would like to attend, the trip is also full of exciting activities at night. 

On the first night, after visiting URichmond, our group went to a local movie theater and watched the recently released Dolittle. 

On the second night of the trip, students had the privilege of going to watch an Elon Men’s Basketball game against the Towson Tigers. While Elon lost, the game was definitely memorable for the class of 2022. The mascot of Elon, the phoenix, spent quite a bit of time in our section and interacted with many of the students. We even got on the big screen! 

On the final night of the trip, we went to Dave & Busters. Students were each given a playing card loaded with points that they could use to play games after dinner. Many students used the points they earned from various games to “buy” heaps of candy. 

​All in all, the 2020 10th Grade College Trip was another successful trip for the books.

​