On Oct. 29^th, 2004 the 8^th grade went to the Health Museum in Cleveland. We had to take one bus to the museum and back to school so it was very crowded in the bus. The bus trip was fun and took about forty five minutes to get there. Once we got inside, we separated into groups. Our first class was on Deoxyribonucleic Acid or commonly called DNA. In that class we were taught how the Federal Bureau of Investigation, also known as the F.B.I, catches criminals using DNA tests. We were paired into groups and given a crime scene scenario. Using the DNA records from these suspects and you had to figure out who committed the crime. It is a very complicated process but it is a very reliable source of information. We found out who the murderer was and solved the mystery. Then we were allowed to take a break to go explore the upper floor which was filled with a bunch of neat things.

We learned lot of interesting facts about the body and its cells. One of the facts I found very interesting was that the body has seventy-five trillion cells. If you placed the DNA from the inside of your body in between the Earth and the Moon your DNA would go back and forth six thousands times. Another fact is that men determine the sex of the newborn baby. Here are pictures of the upper floor.

This is an example of a person in a wheelchair.

This is a picture of how the force of gravity takes place.

This is a drawing of a cell 10,000 times larger.

\ This is a station where you can experiment with the bones of your body.

After we got a chance to explore the upper floor it was time for lunch. Our next class was about sexually transmitted diseases or S.T.D. We learned about diseases like Chlamydia, Aids, Genital Warts, Gonorrhea, and Syphilis. We also learned how diseases can be transmitted through parents or life partners. They told us what would happen if these diseases were left untreated, what products we could use, or who to see about the problem. The slide show was not very enjoyable because most of the pictures were pretty bad. It gave us a very different perspective on life. I would say that class taught us a lot and maybe prevented me from making some very bad mistakes further on in life.

Here are some of the thoughts the 8^th graders had who went on the field trip. Frank thought that the field trip was very interesting and fun but you also learned a lot from it. Kyle said that it was okay and could have been better, but it was very informative. Antonio said that the activities on the upper floor were very fun and interactive. Sam said it was fun and she wished she could go back.

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