More than 300 O’Neill seventh graders, teachers and chaperones recently enjoyed an outdoor adventure field trip to Waterfall Glen in Lemont, Ill. A Target Field Trip Grant funded the field trip.
The students participated in an exciting and puzzling Eco-Challenge, during which they ran, walked, climbed, waded and crawled through a two-mile forest course. Throughout the course, students used their teamwork and academic skills to solve a variety of checkpoint challenges, which asked students to conduct slope calculations and creek measurements, as well as design paper boats that could float. Students also embarked on scavenger hunts that involved GPS coordinate calculation and student-written mysteries.
O’Neill science teachers Sarah Pinkus and Janette Syverson and retired O’Neill teacher Jim Williams coordinated the trip, with support from parent and staff volunteers, the Meredith Williams Foundation and the Target Field Trip Grant Program.