By Sadie York
Approximately 245 million years ago, dinosaurs roamed the Earth during the Mesozoic Era–a time where all the continents were merged into Pangea, a singular supercontinent. The Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous Periods all occurred under the Mesozioc era, and for the sophomore Shield authors trip on the Magic School Bus, we’re going to visit all 3 periods. When we first arrive in the Triassic Period, our bus sputters to a stop and parks in the dry desert. Immediately, the blazing heat scorches our skin, and we begin to break a sweat. Our trek begins through the sandy dunes, and Donya Vandersteen, prepared as always, provides water bottles for the class. Eventually, with Mia Hanuska leading the pack, an oasis is spotted in the near distance. Tall conifers, cycads, and ferns surround a crystal clear pool of water. In the near distance, a rapid sound draws closer. The stamping continues, gradually getting louder and louder. In the blink of an eye, an Eoraptor emerges from the line of trees and charges at the class! At the sight of the dinosaur, Weston Kelly lets out a shriek and retreats to the school bus with the rest of the class close behind. The Eoraptor chases us down the stretch back to the desert, snapping its jaws till we’re safely in the bus. With the near-death encounter in the Triassic
Period, we agree to continue our journey and travel to the Jurassic. In contrast to the previous period, our bus arrives in the humid desert-forest. After checking all our surroundings for lingering dinosaurs, we file into the lush vegetation of the Jurassic Period. The blazing sun illuminates through the tall emerald trees. Like the runners they are, Nadia Rivas and Blake Kim decide to leave the group to complete their long distance workout around the landscape. The class splits into groups to explore the area, each supposed to return back with new information for The Shield. Sadie York and Lili Metanovic take off on a mission to find the best Homepage story, hoping to capture a photo with a dinosaur in the back. As they get deeper into the sandstone mounds of trees, Lili feels a tapping at her feet. Low and behold, a shrew-like animal scampers around her legs. Sadie takes a photo of the rodent, and with some deductive reasoning, labels the creature as a Megazostrodon. It freezes and locks its beady eyes with Lili before scurrying away under the warm sand.
About an hour has passed and the class begins to reunite at the school bus. Gio Arteaga had filmed a pop culture video with Laura Lipcsei, who had collected a variety of extinct plants for her “Top 10 Jurassic Plants” article. We all decide we’ve enjoyed our time in the Jurassic and Kathryn Tanaka does a headcount to make sure everyone made it back safely. Kathryn pauses, then asks, “Where’s Emi?” Low and behold, just as the panic sets in, Emi Gruender enters the premise atop a Brachiosaurus. She insists on living the rest of her life among the dinosaurs, so we say goodbye and aboard the bus! The final stop of our trip is the Cretaceous Period, the third and final one of the Mesozoic Era. With much more water and forest coverage during this time, our Magic School Bus glides to a stop across a body of water. Using the emergency inflatable, the class slides down into the lake and trudges to shore. We’re all left starstruck– the infamous dinosaurs which fill our textbooks are roaming before us! A Velociraptor, known for their immense speed, approaches Averi Halbert. She challenges it to a race and they take off through the trees! In the meantime, Sophia Doan has befriended a Triceratops which she has named Spikey Mikey. The class takes notes on Mikey until a mighty roar echoes through the forest. Hearing this, Spikey Mikey runs away, to Sophia’s dismay. But what was the source of the roar? Gavin Bowyer, despite everyone’s warnings, chases after the danger. When Averi finishes her race, we all pile back into the bus awaiting Gavin’s return. Through the windows, we spot a Tyrannosaurus Rex emerging from the tree line. As the engine revs for take off, Gavin appears next to the beast with a smile. He shouts to us from the ground and explains he wishes to stay behind and integrate into Cretaceous society. We all solemnly say our goodbyes, then with tears in his eyes, Weston starts the bus. After the long journey, our memorable adventure on The Magic School Bus has come to an end.