5th and 6th grade class poses atop the ignimbrite rim.

“margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;”>On Oct.

25, the fifth- through eighth-grade classes of Seneca School left

for three days to enjoy the great outdoors, with the help of the

able counselors and guides at OMSIs Hancock Field Station, about

25 miles south of Fossil.

“margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;”>Though

it snowed on the way there, the Seneca School group was fortunate

to get just a sprinkling of rain the first day, and only cold and

wind after that.

“margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;”>The

students were assigned groups and cabins with a teacher or parent

chaperone. Teachers Andrea Combs and Judity Beaudet Reed attended

with their classes. Parents Mat Carter and Rick Callahan were brave

enough to volunteer their services to chaperone and help

supervise. 

“margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;”>All

activities were carefully choreographed by Hancock personnel to

fill each day to the point of exhaustion. 

“margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;”>Among

the many activities enjoyed by the students were the following:

compass reading, orienteering and map making; Leave No Trace

camping and hiking; safety measures and techniques on the climbing

wall; geology studies of rock layers and fossils; aboriginal

skills, such as using an atlatl and dart, rabbit hunting with

rocks, and fire starting with the rubbed sticks method; night

hiking without a flashlight, relying on senses only; the eco-game

of Camouflage; and hikes and more hikes.

“margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;”>Breaking

up the classroom and field studies were recess periods, meals in

the dining hall and evening campfires.

“margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;”>A good

time was had by all and, as Myranda Sweek wrote in her journal, We

learned a lot, but we were having so much fun that it didnt even

feel like we were learning.

“margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;”>The

Hancock Field Station opportunity was funded by a grant for rural

science education, administered by Michael Cummings, geology

professor at Portland State University. 

“margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;”> 

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“margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;”>Judith

Beaudet Reed teaches fifth- and sixth-grades at Seneca School.