2026 Outer Bank, NC: Day 3
Dear Bullis Families and Community,
Our final full day in the Outer Banks felt like the closing chapter of a truly special journey—one filled with exploration and collaboration that our students will carry with them long after they return home.
Students began their morning at Jennette’s Pier, where they participated in a series of STEM experiences that built meaningful curricular connections to what they have been studying in the classroom. Each workshop invited students to think deeply, ask questions, and apply their learning to the real-world coastal environment around them. The day continued at the Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station, where students explored the powerful legacy of courage and service along North Carolina’s coast. Later, time spent on the beach offered a chance to simply be together. Standing with the wind at their faces and the ocean behind them, it was also a perfect moment to reflect on all that has been experienced and shared this week.
Tonight, we gathered for our final closing circle. Students participated in a “one-word whip,” sharing a single word to describe their trip. Words such as community, gratitude, and connection echoed what this week has meant to them. Our students have represented the Bullis community with integrity, earning warm praise from fellow guests, educators, and site leaders at the various locations we visited.
Tomorrow, we will make one final stop at the Wright Brothers National Memorial before beginning our journey home. (Parents, we will share our estimated time of arrival and remain in touch as we travel.)
Please enjoy these final reflections from our wonderful sixth-grade bloggers:
Abigail G. '32 reflects:
Today, we had a lot of fun. The morning was our usual routine—my roommates and I woke up, ate breakfast, and got ready for the day. But let’s get to the good part! We started our day at Jennette’s Pier. My brother told me it was really fun, but since we have very different tastes, I didn’t fully believe him. He was definitely right. After we got off the bus, I saw the beautiful ocean—it was hard to believe it was even real. After my friend and I finished gazing in awe at the beach, we met our guides (my favorite was Brandon), who taught us how to fish. After a while of not catching anything, two people caught stingrays almost back-to-back! Eventually, it was time to move on. We took a quick snack break and visited the gift shop. Many of the kids, including me, bought fidgets. Afterward, we split into groups for three rotations. My group started with learning about echolocation (did you know fish and other marine animals can make sounds?). We listened and talked about the sounds marine animals make and how scientists study them. Then we went back to the dock, where we fished again and used a special machine to listen to what was happening underwater. Mostly, I heard waves and tiny shrimp, which was really cool! Next, we learned about ocean currents, which reminded me a lot of what we are studying in science class. One important thing I learned is that cold water sinks while warm water rises, which helps create ocean currents. For our experiment, we mixed liquids of different colors and temperatures and recorded whether they layered or blended together. In our last station, we learned about pH levels. Afterward, we did an experiment where we tested different chemicals. I even got to blow bubbles into one of the solutions (I was a little nervous I might accidentally drink it!). Then we tested the pH again and observed how different substances dissolved over time. Finally, it was lunch…or so we thought! We walked to the gazebo across the street and played for about 20 minutes while we waited. Then the Domino’s truck arrived! I had garlic knots and a slice of pizza, and I started blogging in the warm sun. After lunch, we traveled to Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station. We learned about the history of the U.S. Life-Saving Service and explored the station. One of the most interesting stories was about a rescue involving a lifeboat and a large number of survivors from a shipwreck (exact details varied by story, but it showed how brave these crews were). Our guide also reminded me of my dad (Mr. Giaffoglione)! At the end of our time there, we got a sweet surprise—we went to the beach! After about 30 minutes of playing with friends, Ms. Lustre had a great idea! She asked us if we wanted to write “OBX ‘26” in the sand. After lots of trial and error, we found the perfect spot, but we weren’t done yet! We realized we couldn’t see it well in photos when we tried to take a picture. So a lot of people started to join and helped outline the letters with seashells. It took a lot of teamwork, but it was definitely worth it. We took lots of pictures (which you will probably see in tonight’s blog) and then headed to dinner at The Dunes restaurant. After good food, laughter, and maybe spilling a little water, we thought the day was over…but it wasn’t! We got another surprise…we went for ice cream! I got strawberry sorbet. We enjoyed it outside in the beautiful sunset (and maybe got a little extra energy from the sugar rush). That was definitely one of the best parts of the trip! Finally, we headed back to the hotel, sang “Happy Birthday” to Lily (happy birthday, Lily!), and went to our rooms to get ready for the night. Overall, OBX was something I had never, ever experienced before this trip. It was filled with excitement, learning, and unforgettable moments. I had so much fun in the Outer Banks!
John C. '32 reflects:
When I stepped off the bus, I knew I was in for an adventure. The hot sun instantly hit my face, and we began heading to Jennette’s Pier. I met up with all of my friends, and Ms. Wilcox gave a brief announcement about what we would be doing today. After her announcement, we went fishing. Sadly, I didn’t catch anything, but shout-out to Adam and Lena for both catching fish! Then it was time for a snack break. Afterward, we split into groups and rotated through different workshops, where we did really cool activities like listening to ocean sounds and fish, learning about different types of ocean currents, and exploring ocean acidification. Next, we had a nice lunch at the park, where we also got to play on the playground. After lunch, we went to the beach and hung out—playing games like tag and football. Just as I thought we were heading back to the hotel, we stopped at Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station. We listened to a speaker talk about the military branches and lifeguards, especially the history of coastal rescue services. After he finished speaking, we split into groups again. My group explored one of the exhibits, which included a watchtower and other historical military artifacts. Then we visited another area where we learned about the history of different items, including a large rescue boat and torpedoes. After we left, we went to a restaurant called The Dunes. There was lots of good food like French fries, mac and cheese, and chicken. Then Ms. Wilcox surprised us with dessert—ice cream! I got my favorite flavor, rainbow sorbet (don’t judge me). After that, we went back to the hotel and sang “Happy Birthday” to Lily, which was a fun way to end the day. My personal favorite part of this trip was listening to music with Max and playing in the sand dunes with everyone. I hope everyone had a great time and enjoyed being with their friends!
Emma S. '32 writes:
Today was so fun! First, we went to Jennette’s Pier and went fishing. I didn’t catch a fish, but my classmates did. Then, also at Jennette’s Pier, we attended workshops to learn about the ocean. My favorite was the ocean currents workshop—we talked about how currents change depending on where you are in the ocean. After all the workshops, we had lunch. For lunch, we had pizza at the park right across from the beach. We got to play around in the beautiful weather. After we played, we went to Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station and learned about the U.S. Life-Saving Service and how crews helped rescue people from shipwrecks along the coast. We even saw one of the historic rescue boats used in operations like those. After that, we went to the beach there. There were all types of beautiful shells, and we enjoyed walking in the soft sand and looking at them. Then we went to dinner at “The Dunes,” where we had seafood, and it was some of the best food I’ve had. I am really sad that this was the last full day. I had so much fun on this trip. Tomorrow, we have one last stop at the Wright Brothers Memorial before we head back home. My classmates and I are so grateful for this trip, and we can’t wait to see you all (our parents) tomorrow!
Damisire O. '32 writes:
Today, we went to Jennette’s Pier for fishing! Two people even caught stingrays, and luckily, they got Starbucks as a reward! After fishing, we attended three classes about sound, ocean currents, and acidification. Then we went to the playground, where we played for a while and had pizza and soda for lunch. After lunch, we went to the Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station, where we learned about the Life-Saving Service and some of the rescues they performed along the coast. We also explored the station and looked inside the historic buildings, which was really interesting. My favorite part of the day was the beach! We collected shells, ran around, and had so much fun. After that, we had dinner at The Dunes (probably my favorite meal of the trip), and then we got ice cream! Today was also special because it was Lily’s birthday. This entire trip has been super fun, and I’m so glad I chose to come since I was hesitant at first. North Carolina is awesome! :)
Charlotte W. '32 reflects:
Today, we got up at 7:00 a.m. and had an amazing breakfast. After that, we got on the bus and went to Jennette’s Pier. We each got our own fishing rod, and two people even caught skates! When we were done, we headed to the gift shop and bought some things. Then, we split into three groups and rotated through different workshops. We learned about ocean acidity and pH levels. After we finished the rotations, we walked across the street to a gazebo for lunch. There was a playground where we played lots of different games, like volleyball, while we waited. After we got tired out, we all had pizza and brownies! When we were done, we headed to Chicamacomico and had two rotations, each teaching us really interesting things. For example, we saw one of the last life-saving boats from the early 1900s. At the end of the day, we went to an ice cream place and gathered for our final closing circle. Overall, this day was amazing, and we will leave OBX with great memories!
Warmly,
The Sixth Grade Team
.jpeg)
