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2000 Common Ground trip got A+  

Editor: 

It's too bad your reporter, and vicariously your readership, wasn't present at last year's Common Ground field trip to Yosemite. Here's some of what I observed as my two students with developmental disabilities fully participated with their peers: young people exploring the flora and fauna of the Valley floor while recording observations intermittently in their field notes; urban youth taking formidable hikes in challenging weather to the various heights of the Valley and returning with an appropriate sense of awe of their surroundings and their own achievements; midnight photography classes; students awaking me at 5 am for the chance to go out and view by telescope the now visible planets just before a glorious sunrise; in short, a shared sense of exploration, discovery, and community. Such experiences direct further student engagement at BHS and in the local community throughout the school year.  

This is the essence of Common Ground, which merits further exploration, and appreciation, in your pages. 

Bill Joyce 

Berkeley