The White Falcon - 28.05.1993, Blaðsíða 5

School field trips produce lasting memories
Story and photos by J02 Carlos Bongioanni
^sai
How many people
can say they have
walked on a glacier
or touched the me-
tallic blue walls of an
ice cave or heard the
crash of water against
rocks while standing
behind the “curtain”
of a powerful water-
fall? These are just a
few experiences a
number of individu-
als from Naval Air
Station, Keflavik,
will remember from
their time spent in Ice-
land.
Over a two week pe-
riod in May, staff mem-
bers and students from
A. T. Mahan High
School, along with vol-
unteer chaperones, made
our separate two-day ex-
ursions along the south
coast of Iceland. Their
travels acquainted them
with some of Iceland’s
sights of interest. This
included a boat ride on a
glacial lagoon at
Jokulslon, a hike through
Skaftafell National Park
and stops in Vfk, Skogar
and Hveragerdi.
“The field trips are part
of the school’s curricu-
lum,” explained Leo
Munro, A. T. Mahan Host
Nation teacher. “They
introduce students to the
culture, geography and
history of this country in
which they’ll spend the
next two or three years.
“This is the first time
we’ve done a two-day field trip. I’ve always
suggested longer trips, but many people didn ’ t
think we were ready to tackle an ovemighter.
We’re giving it a test drive this year to see if
this is something we want to continue.”
Eleventh grader Helga Hayes has attended
>th Icelandic and American schools and
rsaid she was impressed with the two-day
field trip sponsored by the school.
“You just can’t see that much in one day,”
A. T. Mahan high school students explore an ice cave.
Jeff Bigos overlooks a waterfall.
said Hayes. “Icelandic school field trips are normally
much more involved, because they take off for an entire
week. Usually the base’s field trips are no comparison,
but the quality of this trip was a big improvement over
past ones I’ve attended.”
For the majority of students, the strengthening of
friendships among peers was the best part of the trips.
“You leam things about people you never knew before,”
said 10th grader Elon Jenkins. “After spending a few
days together with friends, you come back a lot closer.
I’ve noticed these trips usually break down walls and
barriers between people, and we become more like a
family.”
One example of the bonding that developed during the
trips occurred when 10th grader Dawn Bussey became
stranded under the Svartifoss waterfall. After bumping
her head against a rock, she felt a momentary disorien-
tation and became afraid to cross the slippery rocks
behind the waterfall. After several moments, 11th
grader Darren Johnson went over to lend his assistance
and guided Bussey to the other side. “I think Darren is
the best friend I have in the world!” stated Bussey shortly after her rescue. “I noticed after
the waterfall incident, everybody became more helpful and concerned for others.”
Besides building friendships the field trips served another important purpose as well. “I
wanted to find out if Iceland really looked like all the postcards I’ve seen,” said 10th grader
Dana Mecham. “Plus, we’re in a foreign country, so we should get out and leam something
about it.”
Eleventh grader Tony Francis had just arrived in Iceland a week prior to the field trip and
he learned some unexpected facts about his new home. “Iceland isn’t what people think it is.
Everybody expects it to be 30 degrees below zero all year around, but it’s actually a nice
place.”
A. T. Mahan students take a break while hiking
through Skaftafell National Park.
May 28,1993
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