Page 12 - Spring 2020 MT_v5.indd

OUTREACH & EDUCATION highlights

Think Outside

AMY LORD, OUTREACH AND EDUCATION MANAGER

Tainter Elementary, Rice Lake: Students visited the Chippewa Moraine State Recreation Area and explored the David R. Obey Interpretive Center before
going on their Ice Age Trail hike. Photo by Tainter Elementary school representative.

"This is the best fi eld trip ever!” −
Luck Elementary 4th grader

“Wow, look at these gorgeous views!”
– 4th grader from West Middleton

“It was calming and peaceful. I like that I
was able to get exercise. I could hang out
with my friends while I was walking. I hope I
can come back another day.”
– Jefferson East Elementary 4th grader
Imagine reactions like the ones above
multiplied by 10,000 kids, and you can
appreciate the power behind our audacious
goal: Connect and engage 10,000 fourth
graders with the Ice Age Trail.

The Ice Age National Scenic Trail is an
educational trail by the very nature of its
unique landscape, created by the receding St. Gregory the Great, Milwaukee: The fi rst round of hikes took place in all kinds of weather from
glaciers thousands of years ago. It sparks September – November, 2019. Students from St. Gregory the Great in Milwaukee bundled up and
wonder and awe as it takes hikers past explored Kettle Moraine Southern Unit – Lapham Peak. Photo by St. Gregory the Great school
representative.
world-renowned glacial features: eskers,
kames, kettle lakes, and more. It naturally We strongly believe in sharing this natural statement, “It’s a great art to saunter,” while
provides the setting for thinking outside story with tomorrow’s leaders through infusing core educational concepts into fi eld
as it offers both a lifetime of learning and hands-on experiences. Our Saunters experiences along the Trail.
adventure. program has been around since 2008 It wasn’t a stretch then, to create Think
and aims to honor Henry David Thoreau’s
Outside. This initiative, a result of an August

12 MAMMOTH tales | Spring 2020