Date:	Saturday, October 24, 2009
Trip Types:	Beach Walk, Hiking, Other
Other Trip Type:	Boat Ride
Plan:	Meet at RBHS at 9:30. Travel to ferry terminal, depart for Blake Island at 11:30. Hike around the island, have lunch, take ferry back to terminal and return to RBHS by 4:30.
Report:	Met at Rainier Beach HS at 9:30, boarded the bus and left for Pier 55 by 10:00. Took the 11:30 ferry to Blake Island, which was good - we got a harbor tour and some good information (which actually made us think we'd gotten on the wrong boat at first - no harbor tour last year - leaders were about to wet their pants for about 3 minutes until we realized we were, in fact, on the correct boat). Saw some harbor seals on the ride over. Got to the island, hiked through the woods to the beach, kids walked on the beach while leaders set-up/cooked lunch. Some of the kids decided to go swimming in the sound. Returned on the 2:30 ferry, got back to the school parking lot at about 4:15, everyone got picked up immediately. We took a school bus, which was very convenient - we will definitely do that again. Kids had a great time, loved the hike and the cook-out on the beach.
Suggestions:	Had some issues with rough-housing, excessive student cell phone use, and flashing of gang signs in a couple of photos. We covered expectations before we left the parking lot, but realized that we need to be more clear and thorough next time. One unusual event - a boat staff person accused one of our students of stealing a bottle of liquor from one of the bars (it was on the bottom level, closed down, not in service). Mr. Jefferson investigated and talked to the kid, who said that he had gone behind the bar, which was clearly roped off, to see what was back there, and had picked up a bottle or two out of curiosity, but hadn't consumed or stolen any of it. The leaders' take on the situation, knowing the kid, is that he's a little socially challenged and didn't think about what he was doing. We believe that he didn't take or consume any alcohol. We talked to the boat staff and cleared things up.