By Abby Rosenstock

This past October, students in Upper School science teacher Dave Privasky’s Marine Biology science elective traveled to the Chesapeake Bay as a part of this semester-long course. This trip allowed students, myself included, to observe what we had been learning about in the classroom in live action. Although this trip took place relatively early in the semester, it was an intriguing experience that prompted our engagement to learn more about the Chesapeake Bay and other marine life throughout the remainder of the semester. 

Throughout this elective course, we have learned about several aspects of marine life, including the four types of oceanography: geological, physical, chemical, and biological. 

Class examining the oysters.

Leading up to this trip, our class learned about the different organisms found in the Chesapeake Bay. Overall, this unit included upwards of 80 different organisms. We were asked to identify different types of crabs, rays, oysters, shrimp, sharks, birds, fish, and much more. Classmate Anna Grace Shaia (‘24) said, “I really enjoyed seeing the organisms we had just learned about in real life, and it was very fun being able to identify the different types of animals we saw out by the bay.”  

Two separate days were offered for this trip: Wednesday, October 11, and Thursday, October 12. Unfortunately, this was the week of the International Emerging Leaders Conference (IELC) at Collegiate. Classmate Lily Berger (‘24), a member of Collegiate’s IELC delegation and Senior Capstone class, was deeply saddened to find out that she would have to miss our class trip. Berger said, “IELC was a great experience that I was grateful to be a part of, but I was also sad that I missed such a great opportunity to learn so much about the Chesapeake Bay, such a unique watershed that is so close to home.” Fortunately for Berger, many pictures were captured on this trip so she could observe all of the amazing animals and creatures we encountered.

Captain Rowe teaching me the tactics of oyster tonging.

Before we left, one particular part of the trip that my class was looking forward to was being able to eat the oysters we harvested. We had the opportunity to partake in “oyster tonging,” a new activity to me. Encyclopedia Virginia describes oyster tonging as a common tactic using “long scissor-like wooden poles to harvest oysters.” I tried oyster tonging myself with the help of Captain David Rowe, the captain of our boat, and it was surprisingly more difficult than I expected. A typical oyster tong is anywhere from 12 feet to 30 feet long. Pulling the heavy tongs up and out of the water, with several oysters filling the bottom, is difficult. Being able to try this myself made me appreciate and acknowledge the hard work that is put in to obtain these oysters. Adi Brotherton (‘26) also tried oyster tonging and she said, “I did not expect it to be as difficult as it was. It really showed me how much athleticism is required to complete this task.” 

Rowe has been working on the Bay for most of his life, and his current boat is the state boat of Virginia—a Chesapeake Deadrise. Privasky described him as “incredibly experienced and super knowledgeable. Other schools have worked with Captain Dave, and he is highly respected and regarded.” Privasky has been organizing the trip since 2019, connecting with Rowe through the Virginia Watermen’s Heritage Tours. 

After collecting several oysters, we were offered to taste them. I decided not to try them myself; however, classmates Sallie Martin (‘26) and Elle Garnett (‘26) did. Sallie exclaimed, “I was intrigued to try these fresh oysters, and although the texture was weird, I was glad to say that I tried one of them.” Brotherton, who was in the same boat as me in the sense that we did not try the oysters, exclaimed, “I was just not that interested in trying the oysters, but I enjoyed watching other people try them.”  

Overall, I have heard nothing but positive feedback about the Chesapeake Bay trip. Personally, I think that this trip and experience was well worth missing a day of school for. I enjoyed reminiscing on this trip in class when we scrolled through the several photos we took. When asked about her overall thoughts on this trip and the Marine Biology class in general, Brotherton said, “I love the class and am really happy that I took it. I kind of took it as throwing myself out there, but I’m really glad that I did. And as for the trip, I loved the hands-on experience, as well as getting to spend the day with my friends and classmates.”

All photos by Abby Rosenstock.