In late September, grades 10 and 11 embarked on their annual class trips. This year’s juniors went kayaking at Elkhorn Slough in Monterey and sailing in Santa Cruz, while the sophomores went to Santa Cruz and La Honda to test their mettle at ropes courses.

The sophomores split off into two groups for the ropes course trips. At each course, students and teachers used teamwork, communication and coordination to navigate the obstacles. A fun and valuable outing was somewhat marred by a bus breakdown on the return trip, but the students made do by enjoying snacks and socializing while waiting for the ride back to Harker.

At Elkhorn, one group of juniors went on a nine-mile kayaking journey that, though tiring, gave students the opportunity to see a variety of wildlife local to the slough, including seals, pelicans and otters.

In Santa Cruz, students boarded 14 boats for their sailing adventure, and after a primer on the basics of sailing, tried their hands at maneuvering the boats themselves. After honing their skills, the groups of students in each boat raced one another.