“Are we there yet?”

The young girls asked every few miles for the entire trip. They stayed in their seats but looked out the windows impatiently. Finally, water came into view. The girls cheered and chattered excitedly, glad to be at their destination.

On Wednesday, the GEMS leaders and their students took a four-hour drive to Moody Gardens in Galveston.

“We left school at a decent time to head to Galveston,” GEMS leader Sydney Lebel said. “When we saw the water coming into Galveston, the little girls were so excited that we had arrived.”

The day first began with the girls eating lunch near the water by Moody Gardens.

“It was so nice to sit and have a nice little picnic by the water,” GEMS leader Tana Cleveland said. “The little girls really enjoyed eating their sack lunches by the water too.”

The students visited the Aquarium and the Rainforest Pyramids.

“When we first arrived in the aquarium pyramid, it was mind blowing,” GEMS leader Ally Smith said. “We saw all types of animals like penguins, jellyfish, stingrays; we were even able to pet the stingrays.”

After spending about an hour in the aquarium, the students visited the rainforest.

“When we walked into the rainforest pyramid, the little girls actually felt like they were in a real one,” GEMS leader Vanessa Ramirez said. “It was really cool seeing sloths, monkeys, snakes and so much more.”

The students also watched a 15-minute 3D film about sharks.

“We had 3D glasses on, so when the sharks came onto the screen, it really was very realistic,” GEMS leader Raeleigh Rhodes said. “There were all sorts of special effects like water that splashed on us, pokes, smells.”

The GEMS leaders and students ended the year having fun learning together and making plans for the future.

“It was an overall successful trip,” GEMS founder and adviser Patrice Cox said. “We are even trying to plan a retreat team for the big girls this summer.”