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Great Weather Greeted Students in Santa Cruz
 Friday, June 15, 2018 
[By Selma Apara, 8th grade] On a scorching Friday in June, Ile Omode students and families gathered together for the warm sand, cool surf, and hot rides, at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. The annual trip was extremely fun this year, as the whole school came together to celebrate nearing end of a long school year.
The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk was built in 1907, and it is the oldest amusement park still operating in California. It is also one of the few seaside attractions on the west coast, and a great place for a family outing.
The day began with everyone loading onto the bus. The nearly two-hour drive was tackled in style, as Ile Omode families rode in a luxury bus.
Rayauna Harris, a 3rd grader at Ile Omode, elated, “[It was] the nicest bus I’d ever seen!”
Upon arriving at the beach, everyone was welcomed by the warm weather of the beach. Mama Chrystal, the 1st-grade teacher at Ile Omode, described it as “too perfect.”
After swimming in the ocean, building sand castles, and bathing in the California sun, it was finally time to eat.
Mama Chrystal’s favorite part of the trip was, “everyone stopping what they were doing to come together to eat like a family.”
After lunch, it was time to explore the boardwalk. Having over 100 rides and, games, and attractions, the boardwalk has activities for all ages.
Second-grader, Haaziq Al-Musawir, says his favorite ride was the 125-foot Double Shoot drop ride, a ride even some middle schoolers were afraid to go on. He declared, “...it was the bomb!”
Others preferred more chill rides. Devin Dugan, a student in Ile Omode’s Frederick Douglass 2nd grade class, “My favorite was the dinosaur ride...it was funny...”
For the middle schoolers, the Santa Cruz trip is the biggest social event of the school year. Since they are older, they are allowed to travel along the boardwalk in groups without a chaperone. For the oldest of the group, the eighth graders, the trip signifies their last large gathering with all their middle school peers.
Yhzekel Kahsai, a student on his way to Moreau Catholic High School in Hayward, explained, “I wanted to make the most out of the experience and enjoy it because I knew I wouldn't go again with my middle school friends.”
With the entire school gathered at the beach, the trip had a jocular atmosphere. Mama Chrystal described the event as, “a giant family reunion with friends.”
As usual, the annual Santa Cruz trip went well, and everyone had a great time. With the school year coming extremely soon, the students of Ile Omode are counting down the days until the next trip.
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