Middle school students enjoy educational adventures

Sometimes it’s odd what we remember.

One of my friends in college told me something that’s stuck with me more than several of the lessons I learned in my four years at my alma mater: “It takes a few times to sink in, especially if it’s in a book.”

As yet another reporter who was a nerd as a child, I often wondered why we rarely covered the whole textbook by the end of a course. Perhaps it was because of classroom disruptions (thankfully, spitballs weren’t common by the time I was in school, but there were plenty of other shenanigans), but, really, it could have been intentional.

While I haven’t done my own research on this, I’ll honor my gut instinct and personal experience and sign onto the argument that experience-based learning and fun-based learning can sometimes be more instrumental in a child’s education than the assignment of another chapter of the textbook.

Newcastle Middle School teachers would likely endorse that belief, based on the enthusiasm they showed in responding to my emailed questions about a slew of out-of-the-norms activities students engaged in on Sept. 18.

Science teacher Jody McCormack, who told me about sixth grade students’ adventures in Gillette, said it directly.

“I think it’s important to learn off campus because it gets them out in the world,” McCormack said. “We are each a product of our experiences, and varied positive experiences make us better humans.”

According to McCormack, the trip, which is a longstanding tradition, marked most sixth grade students’ first visit to Gillette’s planetarium, where they learned astronomy and the night sky. At Gillette College Center for Innovation & Fabrication, or Area 59, students created their own paper rockets and tried to launch them. Campbell County School District’s adventurarium, which features interactive science stations such as building structures and covering themselves in a giant bubble, also made the list, providing students with “many new experiences.” During lunch, they visited a park that features a zip line.

Social studies teacher Sheila Munger and English teacher Nikki Bartlett led seventh-graders in adventures while the sixth-graders were out of the building for the day. Despite taking place inside the school, the adventures were definitely different from a regular school day.

To make cross-curricular lessons on medieval history “come to life” a bit, seventh grade teachers created a “medieval fun” day. After attending all of their classes in the morning, students enjoyed four stations for the afternoon: decorating themed cookies, including crowns, knights and castles; making chainmail out of tin; racing stick “horses” and playing a card game that teachers invented to act out the Black Plague.

Students later gathered in the gym for a “kingdom battle” series of competitions, where students sought points, as “knights.” Knights raced stick horses, were armed with “lances” (pool noodles), and fired marshmallows from trebuchet to see who could launch it the farthest.

Munger said she was impressed by students’ creativity, knowledge and teamwork.

“Staff and students really got into character for the day,” she said. “Alliances were made, loyalty was shown, and it felt like we had traveled back in time. The royalty for each kingdom even dressed the part!”

Bartlett said teachers can’t predict how middle school students will react to any given day’s activities, so teachers were “pleasantly surprised” by the students’ excitement and were able to build relationships with the students while they were also learning.

“Sometimes it’s OK to stray away from the normal curriculum and embrace the chaos and fun that comes with teaching middle schoolers!” she said.

Principal Tyler Bartlett noted that Black Elk Peak used to be called Harney Peak, and eighth grade students’ trips there have been part of the school’s traditions for more than 15 years. A few years ago, the school decided to move its timing from the end of the year to the beginning of the year because rain and snow patterns had a nasty habit of thwarting plans in
the spring.

“We think it’s a great way for the leaders in our building to start the year with a challenge,” Bartlett said. “It’s a good metaphor for their eighth grade year, for school and for life: it can be really tough to make it to the top, but it’s also worth it.”

Physical education teacher Kathy Beehler said that the route is about 3 miles up and 3 miles down. Students formed groups of about six people based on how quickly they wanted to — and could — hike.

“It was exciting to see how proud the kids were of their achievement when making it to the top,” she said. “It is a pretty big achievement considering the steepness of the hill, especially at the top. The students learned about enjoying the outdoors, the scenery, and the benefits of pushing yourself to reach new goals.”

As in years past, not everyone makes it to the top, but everyone did their best and had fun, according to Bartlett.

“This year, like every year, it was fun to see the way the students grouped up and stuck together for the hike,” he said. “I think our students understand the old quote: ‘If you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together.’”

A traveler from Germany, whom the students met on the mountain, made an impression on Beehler.

“He commented to me how lucky our students are to get a chance to do something like this. He also stated that all of the students were very polite, and he really liked how many of the students had great conversations with him. He said they seemed very intelligent,” Beehler said. “He also noted that it is not like this all over the world, where people are so friendly and kind to each other, especially across generations.”