Ru d o l f S t e i n e r S c h o o l
B ULLETIN
October 2008
NINTH GRADE GEOLOGY TRIP
CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS:
BY UPPER SCHOOL TEACHER MARINA MCGREW
On Monday, September 15 the ninth
Workshop on Internet Safety; 8:15 am OR 6 pm. Upper School Assembly Room School Closed School Closed High School Open House for Current RSS Families; 6:30 pm An Evening with Dr. Karnow; 7:00 pm. Lower School Assembly Room
10/6 graders and their three teachers, Rich
Turner, Sam Margles and Marina McGrew embarked on a journey to The Pocono Environmental Educa10/9 tion Center, located near the Delaware River, in the Poconos. We squeezed 10/13 mass amounts of camping and cooking supplies, as well as 22 bodies into two 10/14 vans and a jeep and took off on a twohour ride into the wilds of Pennsylvania. 10/16
Our five day adventure included participating in the social and physical program offered by the center and outings each day led by Rich Turner, the Geology main lesson For a complete and up-to-date teacher. Evenings and mornings were spent procuring and preparing food in groups Calendar of Events for the month and sleeping on five wooden platforms covered with sturdy canvas tents. Food was preo f O c t o b e r , l o g o n t o pared over two propane camp stoves on picnic tables under shelter. www.steiner.edu. On our first afternoon, after depositing camping supplies in assigned tents, we were met by two young environmental leaders, who took us through a few social games, followed by a low ropes course, where students were taught to support each other by spotting while individuals maneuvered the challenges of strength and balance. This experience initiated the group with a playful and responsible relationship to each other. After the shopping group procured food supplies for the next three meals at a nearby grocery store, working with a budget, and plans for menus, including meals for the eight vegetarians, goods were stored, dinner was prepared, and we shared our first meal together. We found that our camp was shared by a few garter snakes, and just to prove how non-threatening they are, Mr. Turner caught a large snake by the neck and held it while the students touched its back and belly. After cleaning all dishes and the kitchen, Mr. Turner led us on a two hour night hike on a marked path to waterfalls. Our way was lit by a full moon and by flashlights when needed. Just when Mr. Turner persuaded the group to eliminate noises in order to hear sounds of the night, we heard the hauntingly beautiful call of an owl. Upon reaching the waterfalls, some sat listening to the falling water, while others pulled up their cuffs and ventured into the dark water. Tuesday morning, well fed with a camp breakfast prepared at 6:00a.m. by one of three cooking groups, we drove to Allamuchy State Park, an area containing exposed rock masses, where we met with four rock climbing guides from Eastern Mountain Sports. Our guides equipped us with climbing shoes, harnesses and helmets, and we started off in two groups to climb and to rappel. The climbing rock face rose to about sixty feet, and students were provided with several different climbing possibilities, with different degrees of difficulty. The rappellers hiked to the top of a 200 foot rock face and were guided down backwards, swinging themselves over the crevices and surface while controlling their own pace. Packed lunch was shared below the cliffs. Continued on page 2...