MEEKER I The Barone Middle School’s sixth graders went on an educational team building trip to YMCA of the Rockies in Granby, where they learned a lot about teamwork, ecology, survival and history.
Teamwork was a big part of the entire trip. Many activities were done to bring the sixth graders closer together, such as Jacob’s Ladder, Low Ropes and team-building games. Jacob’s Ladder taught the students to work with one other person and help each other through difficulties.
The Low Ropes Course was to teach the sixth grade class to work together in large groups, never give up and to communicate.
The team-building games also helped the sixth graders learn to work with multiple people and to accept failure.
The class of 2022 also learned about ecology, history and survival. During beaver and water ecology, the the sixth graders learned about catorium oil, which comes from a beaver’s anal gland, how beavers don’t like the sound of running water, how to test water oxygen levels and what a backswimmer is.
Along with ecology, they also learned about history. The students took a mile-long hike to a homestead to learn about how the pioneers lived. A few facts the students learned along the way were that the machines the pioneers used made life easier and that they kept their houses small so they had less space to heat in cold weather.
During survival, the pioneers also learned how to build fires and shelters and how to use a compass.
Sponsors of the field trip were WREA and Basin Electric Power Co-op; Highland Cemetery; a Freeman Fairfield Grant; and The Blazing Trails United Way XTO Grant.