Seniors and 6th Graders Connect with the Environment

by Jaydon Carbone

At seven in the morning on May 15, 40 sixth grade students gathered at the entrance of Potosi High School. School would have started in an hour, if there was school that day, but these students were on their way to Wyalusing. A tradition that sixth graders from Potosi have done for forty plus years, it was their turn to participate in Outdoor Education. Joining the sixth graders were fifteen senior counselors, a few parents, and several staff members. Once the bus was packed up, groups were assigned, and everyone was ready; the bus left for the Effigy Mounds of Harpers Ferry in Iowa.

Once there, the large group of 55 was separated into two groups headed by two men who knew a great deal about the Effigy Mounds. The first group was led by an employee of the park who had a great passion for the mounds and the land surrounding. Mr. Steve Chandler led the second group on the tour that he had been going on for many years. On the hike, campers were told to pay attention to any species of bird that they could see so they could add it to the park’s bird sighting list. Campers and counselors also learned about the variety of plant life that calls the Effigy Mounds its home. After a long hike, campers reached their destination and were rewarded with a beautiful view of the Mississippi River.

Despite hiking for two hours, the campers were still full of energy and excited for the rest of their day. After the Effigy Mounds, the group dropped their things off at the cabins, and headed out to do more outdoor activities. Included in the next couple hours were orienteering, tent building, and fire building. Once they were finished with that, they were taken back to camp for a quick lunch. There was not much time for rest, however, as there was still much to do. Everyone finished lunch, and was given some time to practice their skits and cheers. Soon, Merle Frommelt came to speak to the group about Native American history. Mr. Frommelt showed the campers his impressive collection of Native American tools and rocks, explaining the use of everything. Once he was done explaining everything, he invited everybody outside for a contest. The contest was over who could throw the atlatl, a Native American hunting weapon, furthest. Once it was all done, Mr. Edge had won the contest. The next hour was dedicated to building group banners and table centerpieces. Once the arts and crafts were finished, campers were given some time to themselves before dinner.

Dinner that night was walking tacos, which is fitting considering how much walking was done that day. As the daylight dwindled, campers began the long hike to the Wyalusing Observatory. Once there, everyone was given a close up look of the moon and several stars. Unfortunately, the moon was full that night, so certain stars were difficult to see. Despite that, almost everyone thought it was cool to see the moon’s craters up close. By the time everyone was finished, it was almost 10:00.  Campers made the long hike back to their cabins and got ready for bed. Exhausted, many fell straight into bed once able, and were sleeping for the rest of the night.

The next day technically started at 7:15, but almost everyone was awake around 6:30. The weather did not cooperate with the plans that were made for Thursday, so the first hour after breakfast was spent practicing skits and cheers. The rain passed quickly, and soon everyone was hiking down a slippery trail. Once the bottom was reached, the girls walked a little further to go fishing, and the boys were separated into two groups. One group went with Mr. Siegert to go rappelling, and the other went on another nature hike with Mr. Eastlick. While the girls were not having any luck fishing, the boys were having fun hiking and rappelling. After two hours, the campers hiked back up the trail, which had dried by then for lunch.

After a big lunch of spaghetti, it was time to hike the same trail. This time, the boys went fishing, and the girls split into hiking and rappelling. Aiden Uppena was the only person to catch a fish the whole day, as he caught two bluegills. The rest of the boys were unlucky, and only caught a few frogs with their nets. Soon, the girls joined the boys at the fishing hole, and it was time to walk back to camp.

Much to the campers’ joy, this was the last time they had to hike up the long trail that led back to camp. As soon as they were back, it was time to get themselves ready for their families to come to visit them and watch skit night. Many students, sixth graders and seniors alike, were excited to see their parents and tell them about their experiences at Outdoor Education. Once the parents were there, they enjoyed a grilled hot dog or burger, courtesy of Mr. Uppena.

The skits went by quickly and everyone had a lot of fun. Soon, everyone’s parents had to go home and it was time to go on one last hike for the day. As the campers and some counselors were on the hike, staff and some counselors were setting up for the dance. While on the hike, Mr. Chandler spoke about the importance of treating people equally and with respect. As soon as the campers returned, the dance started. The dance lasted for about a half hour, as most kids were exhausted and ready to go to bed. They were offered s’mores before bed, a deal that most of them took. As soon as they had their fun by the campfire, it was off to bed for the night.

The fatigue caused by the previous day was evident, as several people overslept the next day. However, everyone managed to make it to the morning announcements on time. Before they could be dismissed for the days’ activities, the campers and counselors had to clean their cabins for check out. Every cabin was cleaner than they were upon arrival, and it was time to finish the activities. The campers were going to be split again, one group doing archery with Mr. Siegert, the other hiking with Mr. Chandler. The hike was down to Pictured Rock Cave, which was a short walk from camp. Once the boys returned, it was the girls’ turn to go on the hike. The boys’ archery turn went well, and there were some impressive shots in the group.

The girls returned from their hike and the boys finished their archery competitions. Lunch time was getting near, where everyone was treated to pizza at the park. Once everyone was done with lunch, the group separated into a kickball group and a volleyball group. These games went on until it was time for counselors on the baseball team to leave.

The remaining counselors and campers then went to clean up litter in the park as their community service. As soon as it was time to go home, everyone was tired again. The bus ride home was quick, and soon everyone was back home. Sixth graders said goodbye to their favorite counselors and thanked them for making their experience a good one. Many kids talked about how they cannot wait to go back as seniors.

As a senior who was lucky enough to go back and experience it all again, I am very thankful that I was able to relive some of my memories with my classmates. I was also glad I got to help make it fun for members of the sixth grade class. Outdoor Education is a great activity for anyone to be a part of, and our students are very lucky to be able to do this at least once during their school career.