It’s 10:30 AM, the sun is beating down.  It’s hot…  maybe 85 already.  The surfers have been out for hours.  Before them came the runners.  Before the runners came a photographer, scouting the beach for any sign of sea turtles that he could take a photo of.  It’s like playtime for a National Geographic wanna-be.  Playa Grande–our beach–is only open to the public from 5 AM – 6 PM each day.

In the overnight hours when the beach is closed?  Well, of course that is when our students–with special permits from the national park–do their work.  In the overnight.  Under the full moon.  Then under the setting moon.  Then under the stars.

Last night was night #1 volunteering with the Goldring-Gund Marine Biology Station at Parque Nacional Las Baulas.  Our students got their shift assigned right before dinner.  Some worked in the hatchery, some on the Ventanas Beach, some on the north end of Playa Grande, and the rest on the south Playa Grande stretch.  All in all, this is around a 5 km stretch of protected Pacific coastline that is home to the densest nesting site for leatherback turtles in the eastern Pacific.

Students are waking up now after their long night of work.  Brunch is served each day at 11 AM.  At first count, though, 10 students have seen a nesting Olive Ridley turtle already and 2 have seen a nesting leatherback.  Arms outstretched as wide as she could, Meredith Bickett, who saw the leatherback momma, said “It was this BIG!”

At dawn, students got another great surprise.  98 Olive Ridleys hatched during the night at the station’s hatchery.  The group helped the turtles out to sea.

By Julia Gensheimer

On Friday, November 21, more than 20 Gatton students anxiously waited in line at the Great Escape 12 Theatre to see the first part of the final film of The Hunger Games trilogy. With popcorn, Sour Patch Kids, and Icees in hand, we took our seats, mentally prepping ourselves for the film. MockingJay, Part 1 picks up where Catching Fire left off, with our heroes underground in District 13. The games are over, but the violence has just begun. This film is high-action as the rebellion catches fire across the districts with Katniss as the rebel leader, or the Mockingjay. Emotions are high throughout the film – especially for viewers who read the book in seventh grade and completely forgot the plot line (me). I cried seven times. The film was filled with stellar performances by Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Donald Sutherland, Elizabeth Banks, and fan-favorite, Woody Harrelson.

Out of the three Hungers Games films, this clearly took on a darker tone. “It was really moving,” said senior Anna Mayo. “It was interesting to see the film franchise move in the direction that wasn’t centered on The Hunger Games. It was easy to see parallels between modern day revolutions and the film.” Many Gatton students reported feelings of high emotion and increased heart rate. We all left the theatre recapping our favorite scenes and lines. The overall reaction from Gatton students was that the film was actually better than the first part of the book. It was a vivid and intense Hollywood rendition—much better than many of us imagined the rebellion scenes when we read it at a younger age. With the final scene, we were left with an emotional cliff hanger that had us all wondering what would happen next. Then the screen went black and we remembered that this was only Part 1. Sadly, we were left hanging—anxious and emotional, and counting down the days to Mockingjay, Part 2.

Jenna Willett

The Academy is in its fifth week of classes and that means fifth week assessment for the students. What exactly is the fifth week assessment? To answer this query, April Gaskey, Coordinator of Academic Services, says, “The fifth week assessment is used by WKU to assess and identify students in 100 level courses that may need improvement. The Academy uses this assessment time to acquire grade information for all students in all courses. It is really a great way for us to identify the handful of students who are struggling, some of whom would never admit it, and get them the help they need on the front end.”

The fifth week is also an opportune time for professors to give exams or quizzes, which means the first taste of exam stress for some Academy students. It may be a strenuous time, but it is far from being a “pass or fail” moment for the students. If a student is struggling during fifth week assessment, that does not mean they cannot make it at the Academy. What it really means is that they need a little help and, thankfully, the Academy is fit to do just that. Tutors, study hours, office hours with professors, study plans, and weekly meetings with April are available to keep students on track to success.

If you are a parent reading this and wondering how your son or daughter is faring during this time, know that there are people willing to lend them a helping hand. Students here are doing fine and adjusting well to the work load. Learning to ask for and accept help is part of learning to be successful. Fifth week is just another week here at the Academy.