FA M I LY / Y O U T H
EXPEDITION YELLOWSTONE
An adventure like no other BY JEREMY HARDER
Expedition Yellowstone, affectionately termed “EY” by our fourth graders in Big Sky, Montana, is a curriculum-based, residential, outdoor program offered by the National Park Service for students, teachers and chaperones. Each year, Ophir School’s fourth graders earn the right to call this expedition their own. The program, originally guided by former fourth grade teacher Alec Nisbet, has been part of Ophir’s curriculum since 1998. I took the reins when I accepted the fourth-grade position in the fall of 2000, and I completed my 17th trip to Yellowstone this spring. Starting in January, my co-teacher Renee Zimmerman and I prepare students by setting up weekly clan challenges. Clans are small groups of students who work together on learning activities, meal preparation and camp clean up. Each clan also performs a legendary skit the last night of their adventure. Weekly challenges stretch the students’ ability to problem solve, practice collaboration and compromise—necessary skills for the students’ time in Yellowstone.
Ranger Trudy Patton leads an Expedition Yellowstone group at Lost Lake near Roosevelt Lodge. NPS PHOTO
38 Explore Yellowstone explorebigsky.com
A typical day on the expedition includes waking up early to prepare meals, sitting down together for breakfast, attending morning and evening classes, hiking through the park, researching pH levels of the hot springs, finding evidence of ecological niches and discovering the impact of humans throughout the centuries.
