On the fourth of June this year, our school went camping in the Poconos in Pennsylvania. This sight was called PEEC or rather Pocono Environmental Education Center. Our principal, Ms. Hill, A.P. Ms. Diaconomailos along with teachers Mr. Ambrosio, Ms. Kimbrough and Mr. Knudson, selected deserving students to go on this wonderful trip. I myself was chosen to attend and felt excited!
For this trip I had to pack a pillow, suitcase, the usual toiletries, an extra change of pants, shirts and socks. It was a very long trip from Staten Island to Pennsylvania (about 2 hrs.) but let me tell you it was worth it! When we finally arrived there I thought the landscape was beautiful; there were so many different trees, shrubs and yes, we did see deer (also horses!). What I really thought was breathtaking was the freshwater ponds. It was stunning how the oaks, pines and birch were towering them with their magnificently green color. I was really awestruck at just how vast and wide they were; I could’ve sworn they were miles long. Then sometimes if you were quiet, just off in the corner you could see geese swimming.
From the day we got there our days were full of enlightening, enjoyable activities. On the first day of our three-day visit, 49ers were instructed to go through confidence- building obstacles. In these obstacle courses, we rooted for each member in our teams to do their best. Most of the challenges that were brought to us had a lot to do with teamwork, for example there was one where we had to pretend we were a tribe living on an island. Unfortunately, we were going through a famine, so we had to get to the other island in order to live. In reality we had to use only two planks to get from point A to point B. The challenge was, “How were we going to place the two planks strategically in order to get the whole group to the other island at one time?” Later on that night, Mr.Knudson lit a campfire and we had a chance to make mouth-watering smores. I thought this was a memorable activity because it was the first time many of us ever got to make and taste our own smores.
On the second day my group had a chance to do some pond “studies.” Our instructor, Jen, explained to us that what we had to do was study the different critters that live in pond ecosystems. She told us that this was how some scientists do their research. From whatever animals they found in the ponds, they could tell if they had been polluted because some animals can only survive if the ponds are clean. Numerous animals live in ponds such as catfish, crayfish, snapping turtles, worms, beetles, tadpoles/frogs and many different plants too. We were given nets, a large and small plastic container, spoons and charts about different pond creatures. Mr.Knudson separated my group into groups of two or three. One person went to the pond and tried to skim the top of it hoping to get some critters. Then what we did was dump our findings into the large plastic container and spoon out the animals into the smaller container that was filled with water to keep the creatures moist. From the pond chart we discovered what critter was what and what environment they preferred to live in. Many of the children in my group were really squeamish about getting down and dirty and touching the animals. Yet there were some who weren’t and were lucky enough to catch a bullfrog!
On the third day my group got a chance to go canoeing. I thought it was exciting as much it was nerve-racking. This was the first time that I ever went canoeing in my life so you could imagine how memorable it was for me. Coincidentally Mr.Knudson is a canoeing expert or just happened to know a lot about canoeing and such, so he was able to give us a few pointers here and there about how to row, keep our balance and just have fun. I remembered how every time the canoe rocked just a bit it gave me a start. I was so scared I thought we were just going to turn over at some point and fall. After awhile I got used to it and started to enjoy myself, spontaneously. Guess what, during our canoeing Mr.Knudson found a baby turtle in the reeds, near the shore. I thought it was so cute, yet fragile. Later on that day (in the evening) the 49ers had a little dancing lesson, square dancing as a matter of fact. Students as well as the teachers learned how to square dance and dance to the rhythms of the famous Virginia Reel too.
I thought this trip was really enjoyable and I hope that you will get a chance to attend it too. I know I learned a lot on this trip, especially the three “C”s—Confidence, Cooperation and Communication!
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