Just "Google" It

By: Torry Yu, Co-Editor-in-Chief

On Tuesday, June 4, Walled Lake Western students enrolled in Mrs. Nitza Harpe’s Introduction to Programming & Web Design classes, along with Mr. Tom Yakel’s Marketing and Mr. Dan Carruther’s Financial Literacy courses took a field trip to Google’s branch in Ann Arbor.

The students were given a tour of their five-story facility. Each floor in the building was based off of a Michigan city, with the top being The Petosky Floor. On the tour, the students learned that Google employs 300 people who work in different teams that are geared towards a certain goal. Much of the individual team’s work is done through a webcast with other Google branches across the country.

Students on the trip got an inside view of the relaxed work environment that the employees were given. Google employees are provided a free, daily breakfast and lunch service by their own on-site chef, along with complementary snacks and beverages. If that was not enough, Google also has a massage therapist and a workout room among amenities for their employees. And it is all free for them! Their employees all love their jobs and unsurprisingly, they never want to leave their jobs.

Following a very interesting tour, the students made one last stop to Ann Arbor’s famous Zingerman’s Deli for lunch to conclude their day before returning to Western. According to Mrs. Harpe, everyone enjoyed the trip and she had a blast.