Towson High’s brightest students stormed the paths of the Maryland Zoo and the hallways of Dumbarton Middle School in an attempt to gain real life experiences for their advanced classes. Two different groups of students from AP Psychology and the music department (advanced chorus, the nationally recognized marching band, the orchestra) ventured out into the real world on the Monday and Tuesday before Thanksgiving.  

AP PSYCH TRIP TO THE ZOO 

On November 27 and 28, the AP Psychology Students stampeded through the Maryland Zoo to learn more about conditioning, the current subject being studied in the class.  We learned that zookeepers use beeps, buzzes, voices, and other noises to train the animals to do certain tasks. This way, the keepers can examine the health of the animals and to train them to entertain guests in addition to making feeding a lot easier.  

They also learned about positive and negative reinforcement, as well as positive and negative punishment in real life. The goal of reinforcement is to increase behavior, while punishment is to decrease behavior. A trainer explained how she uses positive reinforcement to examine a screech owl. 

Afterwards, the hard-working students flooded the penguin exhibit, and chimpanzee exhibit, the giraffe exhibits.  Some students even watched the chimpanzees begin to communicate with each other while they stood and observed the interaction. Students then were given an assignment to reflect on what they learned about real life-conditioning in the zoo.  

MUSIC GROUPS TAKE A TRIP TO DUMBARTON  

On Wednesday, the advanced music groups took a trip to Dumbarton Middle School to showcase their talents in an attempt to increase participation at Towson High School in future years. The phenomenal concert kicked off with a booming marching band performance who circled the students for a dramatic effect. The band played three different songs to highlight their amazing range of abilities.  

Next, it was the orchestra’s turn. Mr. Rhen conducted the group in multiple songs which stunned the audience. Mr. Jackson introduced the Chamber Choir and spoke about how the chorus hosted a fundraiser to give food to hungry families, called Food for Thought. All of the groups were allowed to eat at various local restaurants, giving the perfect closing to the short week before Thanksgiving. 

Interested students were given sheets to stir up interest. I’m sure a ton of future Generals wanted in on the various groups ranging from bands, singing, and guitars. Both trips were a great break from the classroom and into the real world before students sat down with families for Thanksgiving. The trips were a wonderful success.