A group of Wadena and Rose Valley students reached the Arctic Circle during a school trip in the Yukon.
Darin Faubert, the principal of Wadena Composite, has been organizing extended field trips that take around a week under the umbrella of the outdoor school鈥檚 program for 25 years. Past trips have included the Maritimes, BC鈥檚 Haida Gwaii islands and Churchill, Man. The Sept. 13 to 20 trip to the Yukon was his 50th such trip.
鈥淚 think kids really need to learn about our country because our country is beautiful and there鈥檚 so much to learn about our country,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 great places to visit our country so it鈥檚 always been my thing to make sure that kids know all about Canada.鈥�
The trip was the school first time in the Yukon and the furthest north he鈥檚 gone.
鈥淲e had a group of kids who were very outdoorsy 鈥� and the Yukon is a great place for that 鈥� and wanted to see Canada鈥檚 far north, as far north as we could,鈥� he said.
As the school planned this trip a year and a half ago, the principal kept finding ways to bring the curriculum into the trip. There鈥檚 geography 鈥� the territory has Canada鈥檚 18 highest mountains, gold rush history, First Nations studies, biology 鈥� about what the ecosystem is like in the far-north tundra.
鈥淚t just kept snowballing,鈥� Faubert said. 鈥淭he number of circula that we could cover with kids was tremendous.鈥�
Althea Godhe was one of the 17 students that went on the trip.
鈥淲e thought it would be a good opportunity to see new things and look around different parts of Canada where we鈥檝e never been.鈥�
The students visited Dawson City, Haines Junction, Kluane National Park and Eagle Plains on their trip to the arctic circle. They were guided the entire time, traveling in a 24-passenger van.
For student Nalani Roberts, hiking in Kluane National Park was one of her favourite parts.
鈥淚 liked hiking Sheep Mountain because the landscape is different from Saskatchewan and there鈥檚 a lot more to see,鈥� she said.
鈥淓very time you got a little bit higher, the scenery looked much better and it just kept improving,鈥� Alicia Burghardt, another student, added.
Emma-Kae Ekstrom, also a student, liked having the opportunity to fish for arctic greyling and to learn the history of the gold rush.
鈥淭he history is pretty cool,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou learn a lot of things from people in the gold rush and it鈥檚 cool how the land changes as you drive on.鈥�
Faubert said he liked the history of Dawson City and hiking.
鈥淓verywhere you went you were in awe with where you were because of the scenery,鈥� he said. 鈥淓verything was better because of the scenery.鈥�
Godhe recommended to those that have the opportunity to go to the territory to do it.
鈥淒efinitely go there because there鈥檚 a whole lot to see everywhere. Even just driving on the highways there, you can see so much more than you can ever imagine.鈥�
Faubert said future trips he鈥檚 planning include one to the Rocky Mountains and one to either the east or west coast of the country.
