MONTE VISTA—Friday, Sept. 8, 8 a.m., the bell at Monte Vista Middle School rings throughout the halls, while 75 seventh graders carrying their pencils, notebooks and curiosities journey across to the Rio Grande State Wildlife Area for class.
Once they arrive, they meet up with Officer Luke Hoffman of the Colorado State Wildlife Office, where huddled around, he shares the importance of the area, the Riparian, and how it is only two percent of our environment. He continues to share the importance of where we live and the responsibilities of maintaining and respecting the beautiful Monte Vista wildlife habitats. At the end, he includes the invitation to all students to explore all of what Colorado offers through the many outdoor activities such as: hiking, camping, fishing, and hunting.
It is then off to class:
Period 1: Science: Ms. Lorraine Glidewell’s seventh grade science class conducted macroinvertebrate sampling on the Rio Grande State Wildlife Area. Students used materials borrowed from Colorado Parks and Wildlife to collect, view and identify macroinvertebrates. They sampled a beaver pond and a canal and used the data to assess and compare the health of the different water systems. Some of the macroinvertebrates found included: leeches, rifle beetles, crayfish and many snails!
Period 2: Math: It was then off to math where Mr. Al Ford had his class create their own math problems by using the nature surrounding them.
Period 3: Social Studies: Mr. Mathis’s scavenger hunt was designed to leave the wildlife refuge undisturbed. Instead of collecting things from outdoors, the students filled in blanks to show that they had followed the clues correctly. The clues involved using skills such as measuring distance and degrees, determining whether features were natural or man-made, and determining types of feces. 
Period 4: Mrs. April Tideman and her ARTF student from Adam State University, Lauren Murphy, taught their English Language Art’s class by learning about the origin of Haikus and creating their own poems from the sounds and sights of their natural surroundings. Students then collected items from the refuge to set onto their solar print paper to watch their collection turn into beautiful art.
Both students Adrian Hernandez and Jonathon Cisneros commented, “I love to be active and being outside makes learning fun.” This is the objective for outdoor school. Principal Thomas Tichy truly believes and encourages teachers to take their students out of their classrooms and to provide opportunities for students to engage in project based learning. He states, “Whenever we can provide the opportunity for students to apply their knowledge to real world application, then I support it 100 percent.”
A sample of the Haiku poems written follows:
Cattails, By Syriah
Cattails flowing slow
Flowing slowly with the wind
Fuzz is everywhere
The Nature Days, By Jayden J.
I hear the birds chirp
The flowers are bright pink
Oh, how amazing
The Shadow of the Sun, By Carlos
Wind blowing, softly
Bright light creating shadows
Making a cool spot
Summer, By Zach
Leaves are green today
Summer is around the way
Temperature is up
Wind, By Samaria
The wind is blowing
Grass is rattling like sand
The leaves feel like land