Articles by jaimeduval

Bright, smiling faces glowing with anticipation on Monday, June 11 marked the first day of Teton Junior Science School (TJSS) for 1st through 4th graders. The programs are being lead by our very own graduate students with the support of four amazing interns. The programs offered last week included Wee Little Wonders (1-2 grade) and Colors in Nature (3-4 grade). I tagged along with both groups to see what incredible discoveries were taking place. On Tuesday, the first and second graders studied birds. They had the unique opportunity to hang out with the Teton Science Schools’ bird banders as they collected data on various birds of the area. Some of the students even released the birds after the information was recorded! It was quite a treat for everyone!

On Thursday, the third and fourth graders explored the Snake River Levy. They weresurrounded by thousands of rocks of all different shapes, sizes, and colors, and had sweeping southern views of the Teton Range. They played games and creatively learned about the formation of the Tetons. Thank you everyone for allowing me to explore with you! Stay tuned for more updates from the TJSS world!

 On the late afternoon of February 11, 2007, with bellies full of Mountain High Pizza Pies, Judge Memorial High School rolled into the Teton Science Schools’ Kelly Campus from Salt Lake City, Utah.  We settled the group into their cabins, fit them with gear for the week, played some games, and headed to bed.  We all had a long, but exciting week ahead of us!

Throughout the week, the group focused on elements of change in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.  They cross-country skied around the Kelly Campus, snowshoed at Bradley-Taggart, carried out and presented research projects on snow science, and spent a day in Yellowstone National Park.  Yellowstone was a truly magical place to visit in the wintertime- the bison were digging in the snow, the colorful bacteria in the pools contrasted with the surrounding snow, and we arrived at Old Faithful just in time to see it go off!  The final day of the program was spent at the Kelly Campus, celebrating with a monumental ski to Coyote Rock, a slide show, and certificates to all the program participants. 

The Teton Science Schools crew wishes to send out a final thank you to the Judge High School teachers and students for helping to make this week such a fun and memorable one!Â