For the first time in 12 years, the 7th and 8th graders will go on a Marlborough School-sanctioned trip to Catalina Island.
Led by Science Instructor Samantha Bordy and Head of Middle School Sean Fitts, the Catalina trip in May aims to
increase class camaraderie between middle schoolers through fun and engaging experiences.
“This is a great way to create long-lasting positive memories during a challenging time, typically marked by struggle and shifting
friendships,” Fitts said. “We want everyone to leave feeling positive and ready for summer and, ultimately, another year of middle school.”
The Catalina trip is from May 20-26 and will take place at a campsite called Emerald Bay. The students will have the opportunity to go snorkeling in kelp forests, visit tide pools and spend time in. Students will be able to enrich their learning through different science projects in ecology and at Astronomy Night, where students will be able to sleep under the stars. It will culminate with a campfire,
where they will have the opportunity to connect with each other.
“I just really hope that [7th and 8th graders] bond and hopefully build some camaraderie,” Bordy said. “Especially the 7th grade, they’re still pretty new, they’re still getting to know each other, so [the Catalina trip] will be a really cool opportunity for them to spend some really concentrated time together.”
Bordy graduated from Marlborough in 2016 and deeply enjoyed the overnight trips that the school provided when she attended. Her memories from Marlborough-facilitated experiences at campgrounds, such as Pali and Canyon Creek, inspired her to advocate for the reintroduction of these trips. Additionally, Bordy had positive experiences chaperoning trips at her previous school to Costa Rica
and Europe, as well as at the Marlborough trip to Florida in the summer of 2025.
Similarly, Fitts has experience with school trips and has been to Catalina 15 times with schools and is excited to bring these opportunities to Marlborough. The implementation of the Catalina trip is the first attempt in 12 years to bring this tradition back. Bordy and Fitts hope that this trip will continue for years to come.
“It is a great way to get into nature, the beaches and the trees,” Bordy said. “In general, [it is a great way to] experience more than our city life here.”
The trip to Catalina provides a time for students to experience life in nature outside of the typical life at school. Bordy hopes this experience will prove overnight trips can be successful at Marlborough so that more trips can be created for other grades.
