Science club reflects on Alaskan cruise
ST. REGIS – It has been nearly three weeks since the St. Regis Science Club went north to Alaska, yet the group is still talking about their adventure.
The club hosted a potluck on May 28 at the school cafeteria as a way to show their thanks to those who donated money towards the trip, and to present photos of the cruise.
The club took a seven-day excursion that included stops in Juneau and Ketchikan, Alaska, while also journeying to Victoria, British Colombia.
“I thought it was a life changing experience for the kids,” said Chris West, science teacher for St. Regis Schools. “Some haven’t even been to Spokane or out of St. Regis for that matter.”
West said she knew of the Alaska trip since October 2012 after getting back from a previous science club outing. West took a group of students to Oregon.
In the past, the science club has gone to the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Red Woods among others.
The club provides students with extracurricular activities. The group gets together once a week and learns about science, robotics or just plays chess.
The idea to go to Alaska came to West because she liked to take cruises and started looking into it. The cost for the trip was $2,500 and the club had to find ways to finance that money.
“I started doing anything I could think of to make money to go,” West said.
After selling wreaths, candy concessions during football games, cookie dough and Martinsons Chocolate, the group financed enough for 20 students of seventh through twelfth grade to go.
Some big donations of $1,000 came from the west end ATV Club, and an anonymous donor.
Kids raised money on their own too. However, the 18 teachers and parents who went paid for themselves.
The trip started at 2 a.m. May 3 when everyone packed into a school bus and headed for Seattle. By 11 a.m. pacific time, the group arrived.
Onboard, the group participated in various educational opportunities away from the school, including trivia games and science related discussions. Everyone also got a chance to observe the different species of animals and culture.
Even though the science club went as part of a school function, the boat was still an active cruise ship. People were vacationing while the kids were learning. Students met other kids from all over the country.
“Some of them made friends with others onboard from as far away as New York that they still talk to,” West said.
As part of a science related function, the students were able to witness aquatic wildlife in person.
“We saw many otters and whales just floating along, it was unbelievable,” West said. “Between the animals we saw and the people we met, it was just culturally and scientifically a fantastic experience.”
Although West is planning on retiring in three years to obtain her doctorate, she has other trip ideas up her sleeve.
Possible sites for the next science trip could include Hawaii or somewhere in the Mediterranean.
“A lot of students talked about how much they loved it and how they would go again,” West said.