Mrs. Renz's 4th Grade Class JASON XV Expedition Panama Field Notes

Real Science. Real Time. Real Learning.

Mrs. Renz was selected to join the JASON XV Project expedition team, traveling with the scientists and production team to the remote locations of Panama including Barro Colorado Island and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in the middle of the Panama Canal Zone. This opportunity allowed the student and teacher Argonauts joining Dr. Robert Ballard, world class scientists, and guest researchers at the expedition site. Mrs. Renz was in Panama two weeks. Her fourth graders followed her journey each day as she updated her website with her daily journals and photos.

Mrs. Renz's Last Journal from Panama

Our adventure in the rainforest officially ended today. All of the week one Argos and teachers woke up at 5:00 a.m. and ate one last breakfast together at the Holiday Inn in Panama City. We took the hotel van to the airport and checked in at the Continental Airlines ticket counter. What a whirlwind two weeks it has been. I escorted Student Argos Lisa, Lizzy, Kari, Sheetal, and Stephen back to Houston. We went through security checkpoint and then waited to board the four hour flight to Houston. When we arrived in Houston Airport we set out watches back one hour to adjust to the different time zone. We all filled out customs forms on the plane. We picked up our luggage and and presented our passports and forms to the customs agents, then said goodbye to Stephen whose family was eager to have him back home. The other four Argos and I headed off to locate the terminals and departure gates of each student. One by one, I said goodbye to each Argonaut. My plane left two hours later, so I found my departure gate and began to create a Power Point slide show on the laptop computer my school district loaned me for the trip. My plane had a hydraulic leak so we waited an extra two hours for it to be fixed, then we were informed we would be getting a different plane so everyone hiked to the new departure gate. The plane finally took off from Houston headed to Seattle on the four hour flight. I set my watch back another two hours to adjust to the Pacific time zone. My Horizon Airline flight took off half an hour later, headed to my Redmond, my home town. At 10 minutes to midnight I was finally home, greeted by my daughter and husband. I reflect back to the time I thought about applying to be a JASON XV Teacher Argonaut and remember saying to myself, "Someone has to be chosen and it might as well be me." The lesson I have learned is to pursue your goals and dreams and never give up. This adventure was officially over, at least for now, but the memories from this experience of a lifetime and the new friends I made while I was in Panama will remain with me forever. Thank you for following along with me!

The JASON XV Expedition continues this week with the rest of the student Argonauts and teacher Argonaut team. You can also go to the EDS.com website to watch a live broadcast from the field each day.

Follow the JASON Expedition: "Disappearing Wetlands" next year!

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Feb. 1

Redmond, Oregon