Juniors focus on island's role in West Coast immigration story.

The junior class of the Media Arts Program (MAP) had their annual field trip to Angel Island on Oct. 11.

MAP has traveled to Angel Island annually for the past 10 years. Ever since the field trip’s beginnings, the administration and staff have decided to keep the trip relatively similar to how it’s been done in the past, English 11 MAP teacher Natasha Ritchie said. Students and chaperones took buses to San Francisco and then boarded a ferry to get to Angel Island.

Dubbed the “Ellis Island of the West,” Angel Island used to be a holding place for immigrants who entered the San Francisco Bay from the 1910s to 1940s.

Students visited iconic spots on the island, including detention barracks, where they were able to examine carvings on the walls made by the immigrants who were detained over a century ago.

The trip provides an opportunity to enhance their understanding of the history of the immigration station.

Current MAP juniors said they gained new insights on the historical place and also bonded with their peers.

“I went with my family when I was really young, so I loved getting the chance to revisit it with my friends as well as learn more about its history,” junior Liviya Katz said.