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The Hoosick Falls Central School District supports an annual summer outdoor program for students in middle school, the Summer Science Enrichment Program. Students spend an entire week exploring and traveling throughout the capital region and beyond. The program is run by two teachers, Fifth-grade Science Teacher Christine Zakrzewski, and Fifth-grade English Teacher Tiffany Grant. School Nurse, Carol MacDonald, also attends and ensures student safety, and new to the program this year, a student Junior Mentor, Emmitt Wilbrant, helped out.
This year, the program consisted of twenty-eight students from grades six, seven, and eight. Student participants had varying degrees of physical abilities, interests, and academic standing. Students who attend must be able to follow safety instructions and be willing to challenge themselves. This year’s program also had the first-ever student Junior Mentor, Emmitt Wilbrant. Emmitt had aged out of the program but wanted to attend again this year. After conversations with staff and administration, it was decided that a volunteer Junior Mentor would be a nice addition to the program. Emmit met with Zakrzewski and Grant to help create what is now a list of requirements for consideration as the program’s Junior Mentor. Emmitt was able to assist the younger students, encourage struggling hikers, help out as a bus monitor, and was a great role model for fellow students. Emmitt also created a beautiful slideshow to share teacher pictures with the students!
Over the course of the week, students traveled to different locations and parks, learned about local ecologies, challenged themselves physically, enjoyed the natural environment, and bonded as a group. Students visited the following locations:
Day 1, Molly Stark State Park: Students enjoyed a challenging hike up to the Fire Tower and a guided program.
Day 2, Lake George Prospect Mountain: Many students stated that the hike up Prospect Mountain was their favorite. Grant is a regular hiker at Prospect Mountain and was their guide and expert on this trip. She challenged the students, and the warm weather challenged everyone. Students worked hard not to give up, and EVERYONE made it to the top! The reward of completing a difficult hike and the view at the top made the students feel very successful!
Day 3, Pine Bush Preserve: This was a 1-mile hike with a program that focused on the geology, biology, conservation, and history of the Pine Bush Preserve. Students explored the discovery center and interacted with a variety of informative centers to deepen their understanding of the ecosystem.
Day 4, Via Aquarium: Some students felt that the trip to the Via Aquarium was the best because of the educational program on conservation and the touch tanks. Students listened to a presentation, asked questions, and created a poster. The Via education staff were very knowledgeable.
Day 5, Grafton Lake State Park: Everyone loved the day at Grafton Lake. Swimming and fishing are always a favorite for Science Week!
Students in this program learn to interact with nature in a respectful manner and to “leave nothing but footprints” behind. The District is proud to continue to offer this program to students and thankful to have teachers and staff willing to encourage the students to get outside! Please visit the school’s website to see more pictures: hoosickfallscsd.org
Images are for reference only.Images and contents gathered automatic from google or 3rd party sources.All rights on the images and contents are with their legal original owners.
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