On Wednesday, Jan. 24th, the 6th-grade class decided to utilize the great Wisconsin weather and landscape and take a field trip to the AfterHours Trail in Brule for cross-country skiing. This was their third field trip of the year into the great outdoors. Others included canoeing in the beautiful fall scenes and snowshoeing in the sparkling winter snow. Once they were ready and packed, the class and their teachers took off in the vans after lunch and did not return from the long trek until the end of the day.

The day before their outing, the class took the responsibility of digging out the skis and boots. They took a class period to try on boots and label, very precisely, each set with their name and ski number. This was part of the purpose of this trip. Organization, team building, and planning are all life skills that can be used throughout the rest of their high school careers, in college, and in their future workplaces. It also helps develop a strong part of character, leadership. As defined in Ms. Ripley’s classroom, being a leader includes working well with co-workers, bringing a positive attitude, respecting superiors and demonstrating professional attitudes. All of these were taught and used during this great adventure. Kiley Mueller, a 6th grader who attended the trip, learned a lot of new knowledge. “I learned how to help people when they needed it and that if you don’t clean up after yourself, no one else will do it for you.”

South Shore is located in an ideal location and it wasn’t too much effort for Ms. Ripley to get excited about the trip.  “At the beginning of the school year, Mr. Tiberg and I planned a series of trips for the sixth grade. These trips have a 3-fold focus – outdoor activity, team-building and exploring local/regional Wisconsin.  This ski trip was the third in our series of adventures.” As you can see, the trip was a huge success which will keep encouraging the students to use these new skills. With the school’s small population, they are able to take these learning trips and teach 21st-century skills to individuals. Which is just one of the many perks of South Shore!