Falls High School seventh and 10th graders paired up Wednesday to take an educational trip to not only learn school topics, but hone an appreciation of the area’s natural resources.
Many students fished, canoed and learned to navigate with compasses on the grounds of Voyageurs National Park as part of their trip during science day, also known as outdoor education day.
“We kind of live here on the edge of a unique watershed and forested region, and Voyageurs (National Park) is a draw both regionally and nationally,” said FHS science teacher Tony Casareto, who led in organizing the activities for the day. “We’d like to utilize these resources that provide educational opportunities, more in the future than we have in the past.”
The second annual outdoor education day gave more than 180 students the choice of activities outside FHS or at VNP. At the park, fishing, canoeing and orienteering activities were offered. Outside the school, students participated in archery, lacrosse and a pop bottle rocket activity.
The district collaborated with VNP to allow students to learn about the ecology, geology and history of the area.
“There are lots of experts and people with knowledge in our area,” Casareto said. “Believe it or not, I’ve had kids in my class who have never been on Rainy Lake — and these are 10th graders. But once they get on the lake, they really enjoy it and appreciate the area more once they’ve been out on it.”
Casareto added that he personally wanted the students to experience the local landscape.
“I’m a lifelong resident of the area — I grew up on Rainy Lake,” he said. “I’ve always desired to share that setting with my students outside of lecture in the classroom.”
The students had a choice of two activities throughout the day. Although some were science-related activities, others aimed to teach life skills, such as boat safety during the canoeing course, Casareto said.
“Science can be woven through those courses,” he said “But it’s just one facet of it. It’s an education day outdoors for physical education and life skills as well.”
Pairing each seventh grader with a 10th grader for a day aims to promote teamwork, he said. It also gives a younger student a “mentor” who will still be around the school for a couple years onward, according to FHS principal Tim Everson.
“We’re trying to blend the older kids and the younger kids to develop a community within the school, so kids are building positive relationships,” Casareto said.
Next year, Casareto plans to work with VNP staff to develop more courses for that day, such as calling in wild game, identification of water foul or an activity about small mammal tracks, he said.
Everson said he is pleased that the program for science day has successfully developed to become more local each year. In the past, students would take field trips out of town to Virginia or the Twin Cities. Keeping it local was important in not ignoring the vast natural resources that offer learning opportunities in the area, he said.
“We try to create trips that kids really look forward to,” Everson said.
For more photos, pick up today's edition of The Journal.
