Four Etowah High School students and one of their science teachers recently participated in a Summer Earth Studies trip where they learned in the classrooms of Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Arches and Canyonlands National Parks.

The 21-day experiential learning environment taught students how to read the earth like a textbook, according to Etowah HS teacher Denise Danielson, who coordinated this opportunity for students with support from CCSDs Office of Educational Programs.

Students learned how to read topographical maps, use compasses and read field guides to propose hypotheses and collaboratively solve daily field problems as they related to geology, meteorology, ecology and astronomy. The rigorous academic program in which students earned an Honors Earth Science credit also featured hiking, caving, fossil digging, star gazing and white water rafting.