Tongue River Middle School Winter Ecology Visit

By Elizabeth Terp,
Volunteer

Tim Maze, who teaches Science, Math and Reading at Tongue River Middle School, is here with 28 of his students for a week of Winter Ecology. This is the 22nd year Tim has brought students here and I asked him what brings him back year after year. He said, “It’s a chance for them to experience something totally different.”

He appreciates the role models instructors present to the students and thinks that they show students the best way to learn to do science like a scientist by doing it in the snow. He feels that this experience offers students the reality that if they pursue their studies rigorously, a vital future is open to them.

Beginning in October, Maze meets for one hour every week with the students who elect to come here to prepare them for this experience, learn what to do in winter hazards, how to do a species count, how to read a field guide, and what naturalists do. When the class arrives here, the students have confidence and enter into activities enthusiastically.

In turn, the kids grow up a lot. The Tongue River School principal and teachers note how much more mature and responsible the students are on return. Maze also noted that for his Master’s thesis, without knowing who generated the questionnaire, senior students were asked what they considered their greatest experience was in High School and everyone who had attended Teton Science Schools said, “Teton Science Schools.”

This year, Steve Jones, who drives the bus for Tongue River Middle School, also stayed the week. Jones is a falconer and telemetrist. He brought his pet falcon along and taught a class on falconry and telemetry and involved the students in activities to use these techniques to hunt and to find people. The Teton Science Schools program is happy to include such special events in the Winter Ecology program.