An ideal class at MPA should:  1) Push students from their comfort zone; 2) Interest students; 3) Require students to think; and 4) Be fun for students.  These might sometimes seem mutually exclusive yet successful Middle School teachers strive to combine them all as often as possible.  It is when these four come together that a most memorable experience is created, but it is not easy.  This is why MPA field trips are so successful; they offer the chance to have students experience all four, all at once, all day.
 
School offers students endless opportunities to socialize and become proficient at gossip and interpersonal communication, which they love.  They also learn things in classes, which we think they love and I am sure deep down they do love - way, way deep down.  Even though students love school (sounds a bit oxymoronic but true), they also love not being in school. Hmm....and that is where outdoor field trips come in.
 
Okay, so there are pros and cons to school field trips.  On the pro side, field trips offer kids a chance for an active, outdoor learning experience.  These trips often put kids into situations that move them out of their comfort zone and challenge them to think and interact in unexpected ways.  Did I mention fun?  What is more fun than getting away from school and spending the day in non-uniform mode?  Field trips are days when no assignments are due and no assignments are given.  There is often a long bus ride in which to socialize and chew gum when adults are not looking.  Sometime they sing incredibly repetitious songs.  (Wait, that's on the con list along with having to use the restroom minutes into the ride.)
 
Each spring, the 8th grade goes on an all-day science field trip to Banning State Park, a truly extraordinary area.  A few of the highlights of this trip include a bat cave, climbing an ice ridge, maneuvering through the tricky butt pothole, getting wet trying to explore Poison Ivy Island, seeing incredible rapids, exploring quarry ruins, learning about clinkers and coal, standing at a Hinckley Fire escape route, fording a rapid stream, scaling steep potholes, working together to cross narrow ledges, trying not to fall off 70-foot cliffs, drinking from an artesian well, seeing first-hand the glacial effects on the landscape, climbing steep rock walls and visiting Tobies.  And that's all in the first hour!

Jim Schwieger
7/8 Science Teacher

Upcoming Events:
Parents Association Meeting - Friday, November 14 - 8:30 - 9:30 a.m.  Jeff Clear, Noah Bremer and Linda Hoopes will be our special guests at this meeting.

Fall Open House - Saturday, November 15 - 1:00 - 3:30 p.m.

Middle School Play - November 21 and November 22 - Call 651-748-5660 for tickets