Big Sandy school students kindergarten through senior seem to be on some kind of trip this month. Pictured above: Mrs. Keller's 4th grade class at the Lewis and Clark Interpretative Center.
The senior class is on their Senior Trip, their last class trip. They flew to Los Angles. Those class trips start young in Big Sandy.
On May 2nd, Kindergarten teacher Samantha Weaver informed me the "Kindergarten through 3rd grade attended a field trip to Fort Benton. K-3 were guided through the Interpretative Center.
They saw very interesting animal mounts and learned pioneer period history. The students participated in a discussion on animal furs and skulls. Students in 2nd and 3rd also toured the Old Fort Museum in Fort Benton. After the morning tours were completed, students, teachers, and chaperones ate a sack lunch in the park. Students finished their field trip experience with park play time and ice cream, before coming back to Big Sandy.
Touring the local Interpretative Center and the Old Fort Museum is a perfect first trip. The history of how we were discovered, who we are, how we came to the area. Western settlement after the Lewis and Clark expedition made this river one of the most significant routes of expansion. "Lewis and Clark's Corp of Discovery marveled at "scenes of visionary enchantment" and the now-famous White Cliffs of the Missouri." They explored 200 years of history including the Blackfeet and Lewis and Clark.
The 4th grade class went to Great Falls and visited the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center and the Charlie Russel Museum. The highlight was visiting Buddy, a live Newfoundland dog who is now a main stay at the interpretive center so kids can visit with a dog just like the dog who was on the original expedition.
Recently the Lewis & Clark Foundation paid for a life-size statue of Seaman, the Newfoundland dog that accompanied the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The students participated in a bartering activity while there and they learned about the expedition. The center hopes to give a personal sense of
President Thomas Jefferson's vision. It is inspiring to see how they accomplished such a great challenge. The students could see how the portaged the falls of the Missouri River, how they faced daily life and their experiences with the native peoples of our state. They had a tour guide as they walked around the museum and at the end enjoyed a video of Lewis and Clark.
Afterwards they had a picnic at the Giant Springs which was discovered by the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1805 and is one of the largest freshwater springs in the country. Water flows from the spring at 156 million gallons of water per day with a temperature of 54 degrees. The Roe River is there as well and it is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's shortest river.
Afterwards they toured the Charlie Russel museum, his house and his studio.
The 5th and 6th classes attended the Fresno Chapter of Walleyes Unlimited fishing day. According to Clarissa Worral, six-grade teacher, "the Fresno Chapter of Walleyes Unlimited has worked for years to improve the outdoor enjoyment of North Central Montana. Again, this year the club held its annual Youth Education Day on May 10. The 5th and 6th graders from FE Miley are always excited to attend. They are able to learn about fishing basics, the fish that are native to our state, life jacket safety, how to cast a brand-new fishing pole they get to take home with them, and best of all a boat ride around the lake. We are so lucky to have this great opportunity and thankful that the Walleyes Unlimited invite us back each year."
