Boundary Waters Canoe Area becomes a classroom
A handful of students spent five days at the Boundary Waters Canoe Area learning about the great outdoors and the skills learned while camping.
ELY, Minn. (FOX 9) – As a seventh-grader at St. Peter Claver in St. Paul, Lovey goes to school in the heart of the city.
But for a few days during her summer vacation, her classroom was the great outdoors.
“It was incredible, it was really beautiful and I have never smelled such fresh air in my life,” Lovey said.
Lovey is one of three students from the school who took a five-day trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area near Ely last week.
Big City Mountaineers and Friends of the Boundary Waters covered the costs and provided the equipment and expertise to enable the students to explore the natural world in the north.
“I heard the calls of the loons and saw a few beavers. Then I saw a snake, which was a little scary, but I wasn’t really scared,” Lovey said.
In addition to camping skills such as setting up a tent, cooking outdoors and caring for equipment, students also learned how to build a canoe from scratch and took paddling classes to prepare for the trip during the school year.
“I think that was very important because most of them had never had an experience like that before. Being up there, enjoying the wilderness and appreciating it, and also knowing why we work so hard to preserve these areas. I think that was very important to them,” said Jenny Perea, St. Peter Claver’s City Connection coordinator, who accompanied the students on the trip.
Lovey says that being in contact with nature has not only relieved her stress, it has also opened up a whole new world that she wants to explore further in the future.
“Funny. Calming. Exciting. Scary. Beautiful and amazing,” Lovey said.
