December 31, 1992

Mr. Bill Harris, Superintendent
Cape Lookout National Seashore
3601 Bridges St., Suite F
Morehead City, North Carolina 28557

Dear Mr. Harris,

I am writing in regard to the program run by the Maritime Museum at Cape Lookout in Beaufort, NC. Last year my AP Biology class had the pleasure of participating in this program. This was the third time Page High School brought students to Cape Lookout. The classes before had gone to the marine aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores, but after experiencing your program our teacher decided that it was the best.

Our AP Biology class took this trip in order to study taxonomy: the science of classifying plants and animals. We did not have time in the school year to study it before the AP exam, so we had to learn it outside the class room on our own time. Your program, through Keith Rittmaster, brought taxonomy out of the book and gave life to it. His wisdom and enthusiasm was contagious, and we soon found ourselves learning for the sake of interest. I found myself wishing school could always be this interesting.

The best thing about this trip was that we did not just learn about taxonomy. We also learned many things about the environment and especially the Loggerhead turtles. We left Greensboro students, but we all came back parents. The weekend we were there we got to experience giving life to baby Loggerheads. Keith had watched this one nest for weeks and finally it was time for the babies to hatch. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

The trip I took last year was an unbelievable experience. I want to insure that other students also have the chance to learn first hand what it is like to learn for the sake of interest. That lesson will stay with me for the rest of my life.

Sincerely,

Sara Carter Parham
Senior, Page High School
Greensboro, NC 27408