I had the amazing opportunity to take 42 fifth grade students to the Jekyll Island 4-H Center for three days and two nights this past week. Now, some might believe this a very daunting task, but for me, it was exactly where I wanted to be.
My morning began at 5:15 a.m. on Wednesday as I arrived to the school to meet 42 very excited and AWAKE eleven year olds. I was hesitant to load the bus to travel 6 hours as I knew my sleep would be limited by the chatter of eager students making predictions of what was to come. With help from the Big Man, we all arrived safely to the Island and I was able to keep a calm and normal blood pressure.
After settling into our dorms, we began our very packed schedule for the next three days.
The students enjoyed learning about Georgia's coast and all of the beauty it has to offer. Some of the amazing classes we participated in included Beach and Marsh Ecology, Fish dissection, Seining and Nets, and a Dock study on marine life. The students were "elbows deep" (literally) in fish guts, detritus, sand and ocean, and many other amazing things. We also took the students to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on the Island. There students were able to experience the "life of a sea turtle." They learned about the endangered species and ways that humans can intervene to keep from these amazing creatures from becoming extinct.
One of the students' favorite parts of the trip was an Eco Boat Tour in which we traveled out into the Inter-coastal Waterway. The students were able to handle different fish, squids, a horse shoe crab as well as witness dolphins swimming and jumping within 10 feet of our boat. It was amazing none of the students jumped overboard with their excitement. We also had the opportunity to see a pair of Bald Eagles sitting on a power line. I hope the students realize how special that moment was.
My favorite part of the trip? That's easy. Watching my students hit the beach for the first time. For most of my students it is their first time to the beach and for some it is their first time out of Athens. Unfortunately, many of my students come to school with basic needs unmet, whether it is food, shelter, love, belonging. There is truly too much baggage that I could talk about. But not today. When those kids hit the beach for the first time they are exactly what they are supposed to be: kids. I may not do anything else in my life that allows me to feel the way I do when I see that student taste the salty water of the ocean for the first time and say, "Mrs. Stan, it really is salty." And I played a small part in that life experience. The feeling I get? I call that feeling pure joy...
After three long (but incredible) days, we loaded back on our packed charter bus and headed back to Athens. As we left the island, the students were quiet and reflective about their experience. Many students wrote in their journals, while some stared longingly out of the windows remembering a time in which they will never forget. And don't worry guys, I could never forget either.
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