WOODLAND — Sixth-grade students of Sandy Swan’s class at the Woodland School took a trip downstate at the beginning of June for two days, cramming as much southern Maine educational fun as possible into their stay.
Contributed photo by Sandy Swan
Sixth-graders of Sandy Swan’s class at the Woodland School have had the opportunity to participate in an overnight trip downstate since 2005 for two days packed with educational fun; this year’s trip on June 1-2 included a visit to Pemaquid Point. Shown above 12 miles from the Gulf of Maine Shores are, from left, front row: Sarae Greenier, Adia Greer and Cameron Doody. Back row: Candace Lane, Lane Moir, Brandon Manter, Travis Gilliam, Lawren Cameron, Soctt Bray, Carter Moir, Makenzie Conroy, Moriah Connolly, Callee McBreairty, Caleb Trombley and Destiny Skidgel.
The trip began with a stop to Cole’s Transportation Museum in Bangor which, in Swan’s opinion, was one of the students’ favorite parts of the whole trip.
Students met museum founder Galen Cole, a World War II veteran, and were able to interview many veterans about their lives and experiences. The sixth-graders were all presented with a copy of “Quiet Courage: Stories of the Unselfish Dedication of Maine Veterans” written by Don Colson and even had the opportunity to meet two of the veterans written about in the book.
Leaving Bangor, it was an hour and a half bus ride down to Rockland for a tour of the Lighthouse Museum followed by a short walk over to the Farnsworth Museum, where they were treated to a guided tour by two docents throughout several Wyeth Galleries.
The Farnsworth Museum helps make the Woodland sixth-graders’ trip possible, as the museum pays for lodging and a portion of the travel expenses.
Their next activity made quite a splash with the students — they visited the U.S. Coast Guard Owls Head lighthouse, and every single sixth-grader took the opportunity to jump in the ocean.
“This was the first year that all the students swam in the ocean,” Swan said.
The following day, Woodland youths started the day with Phil Avrill, tour guide of Ocean Adventures. Under his instruction, the class helped alewives up a man-made ladder to continue their journey upstream.
“He caught them in a bucket and we passed the bucket up the side and over the dam,” Swan explained.
Later, she students visited the Rachel Carson Salt Pond, and they pointed out various marine life that Avrill had educated the group about.
The class also went up the Pemaquid Lighthouse and visited Colonial Pemaquid, where they learned about how Samoset helped settlers in New Harbor and how Fort William Henry helped defend the coast. Before their two-day trip concluded, the group also went to New Harbor where they learned how the fishing industry worked in that area.
After leaving Woodland at 6 a.m. on June 1 and returning at about 11 p.m. on June 2, the students were pleasantly exhausted from the annual sixth-grade trip.
