Sophomores from High Tech High International interviewed Obecians to put together a free tour for people to learn the history of businesses and landmarks in Ocean Beach.
It’s part of a class assignment from Michael Cho, a humanities teacher at the high school and Sophia Oller, a chemistry teacher. “I end up traveling quite a bit,” Oller said. “So I had this idea to show off the science of a place… Mike spends a lot of time surfing so he wanted to do something related to water.”
The students were tasked with studying the culture and history of the location and using what they learned to create a tour they would lead for family, friends and the general public. Some of the locations selected included Chicano Park, Old Town, Liberty Station and Ocean Beach.
“It was really important to us that they visit the place and not just do the research by phone or online,” Oller said. The research resulted in more than 30 field trips for the eight student groups, according to Oller. To create the Ocean Beach tour, the students stopped in local shops and restaurants to interview local business owners to help them craft a script for the tour.
“It was a lot of fun visiting OB,” said Anna Bacal, a High Tech High International sophomore and one of the six students leading the Ocean Beach tour. “I learned so much about Ocean Beach and the history about it. Every shop has a history behind it. Once you know all about it, you see it in a totally different view and new light.”
The recent rain postponed the tour in Ocean Beach to Dec. 19, but the students shared the itinerary and some of their script ahead of time.
The tour begins with an explanation of how tide pools are created, what animals can call the pools home and a bingo game. The students also plan to test the water quality by the pier.
From there the tour makes more than 10 stops including visits to multiple murals, a visit to the jetty, dog beach, the OB Hostel, James Gang and the location of the now-closed Antique Mall. That stop will include information about the tension-filled history of the Target store that will take its place. Hodad’s, The Black, Wonderland Ocean Pub and Wings are also on the itinerary.
The Ocean Beach tour will begin 3:30 pm on Dec. 19 at the Ocean Beach tide pools by the pier. The tour is free and open to the public. To learn more about the tour and see details about the others in the area, click on the links below. Ocean Beach Tour https://oceanbeachtours.weebly.com/ Chicano Park https://chicanoparktourshthi.weebly.com/
Old Town https://jpinasanz2021.wixsite.com/sosdhthioldtowntours Liberty Station https://libertystationhthi.weebly.com/ Lynn Walsh is a freelance journalist and an Obecian. She works to promote trust between journalists and the public through the Trusting News project and teaches at Point Loma Nazarene University. Originally from Ohio, Lynn has grown to love living at the beach and posts way too many San Diego sunset photos on Instagram.