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Senior Trip To Benzette

By Lyndsey Kitchen

On September 20, the senior environmental science classes went on a field trip to Benzette, located in Elk County. The classes spent weeks leading up to the trip learning all about elk. They learned about the history of elk, their environment, and their anatomy. On September 20, the students arrived at the school at five a.m. to leave for the trip. After a two-hour drive, the students were pleased to see elk as soon as they arrived in Elk County. They spotted a herd of 4-5 elk standing on a lawn as the bus was driving down through town. The students started their morning off by watching the sunrise over a field of flowers while “elk watching”. After about an hour of “elk watching” over fields, the students finally saw an elk up close. Students spent the next hour observing elk bugling to each other and grazing the field.

In the late morning, the students broke off into groups at the Elk County visiting center. The groups rotated around different elk education sessions. The sessions included a presentation on elk anatomy, a 4-D movie experience, an elk antler measuring lesson, a sustainability presentation, and building an elk skeleton. After all the sessions and a quick stop at the gift shop, the students moved to the state game lands. They were given a guided tour of the lands, where they learned about different job positions for the Game Commission, learned about hunting, and learned about other animals that affect and interact with the elk.

After the tour, the students piled into the bus to return to the school. On the way out of Elk county, the students saw more elk just grazing on people’s lawns. Following up on their trip, the students did a group presentation. The students were each assigned roles in a debate. The topic of the debate was, “Should we bring elk to Patton?” The students spent days researching information and presented the debate to Mr. Thomas and Mr. Novella. Both sides created valid arguments and the debate showed the students had a passion for elk. After this unit, it is clear that students have an appreciation for the elk in Pennyslvania.

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