The lesson of the day for high school outdoor education students involved hands-on learning, but feet came first in this wilderness classroom.
A tough bushwhack hike along a rocky stream bed started the morning on Oct. 7. A round of shotgun shooting followed during a combined field trip for students in Rogers New Technology High School and Rogers High School outdoor education classes.
Out in nature
High school students took their trip near the public Devil’s Eyebrow Natural Area near Gateway.
Devil’s Eyebrow is 1,864 acres of rugged terrain overseen by the state. The landscape includes deep, bluff-lined hollows surrounded by steep and high ridges. Springs and streams abound. The area has one of the largest concentrations of rare wildflowers to be found in Northwest Arkansas.
Directions: From the intersection of U.S. 62 and Arkansas 37 in Gateway, travel east on U.S. 62 one-half mile to the Devil’s Eyebrow entrance. A parking area is one-half mile down the gravel lane.
Information: www.naturalheritage…, arkansas@naturalher…, 501-324-9619
Juniors and seniors wearing day packs filed out of two school buses on remote property near Gateway. The landowners let the outdoor classes roam their property each school year, and the acreage is near the public Devil's Eyebrow Natural Area in northeast Benton County.
The landscape dropped straight into a remote hollow, which looked inaccessible to human feet. Minutes later, students and teachers zig-zagged their way down to the wonders at the bottom of the ravine.
Students oohed and aahed at a horseshoe-shaped bluff shelter. If the weather was rainy, a waterfall might spill over the lip of rock. Only puddles pocked the rocky hollow because of a spell of dry weather. The stream bed made an impromptu trail, which the group carefully followed.
Shawn Flannigan, a Rogers High outdoor education teacher, helped students navigate the tricky spots. Teachers Jeff Belk with Rogers High and Tiffany Harris and J.D. Gunnell from New Tech helped lead the way.
The teachers taught a little geology, noting the limestone that formed the bluff shelter and how Native Americans once lived in the natural shelters. The group eased along, navigating a few slick spots. A bloody shin was the only injury. Flannigan was quick with a first-aid kit. The gauze bandage and white tape were like a badge of courage for the young hiker.
"Watch out for leaves of three," Belk hollered. "There's poison ivy out here."
Students have seen pictures of poison ivy and limestone bluffs in the fluorescent light of their classroom. They saw it for real outdoors on their stream-bed hike.
The juniors and seniors snapped photographs with their phones and tried to share them.
"You mean there's no wifi out here?" a student piped.
This is the first year that outdoor education is part of the curriculum at Rogers New Technology High School. It's been at Rogers High School since the 1990s when Belk founded the program. The two schools are taking some combined field trips so Harris and Gunnell can learn from Belk and Flannigan.
"Jeff is the expert on this whole thing, so he's kind of our guide," said Harris, who also teaches science at New Tech. Gunnell teaches physical education.
Target shooting was on the schedule, but it'd be hard to fire a shotgun in this rocky realm. What comes down must go up, so the students embarked on the steep climb out. The woods gave way to a meadow where Steve Dunlap with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission had set up for shotgun shooting.
Students sat under shade trees and pulled lunches out of their packs. Dunlap talked firearms safety and shooting technique while the students munched. Never touch the trigger until you are ready to shoot. Always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.
"Shooting a firearm has a decibel level that over time will destroy your hearing," Dunlap coached. Ear and eye protection were provided, as well as 20-gauge shotguns, shells and clay targets.
"OK, who wants to go first?" Dunlap asked. No one stepped forward, gun shy of being the first one.
Agustin Garcia was one of the first to toe the firing line. Dunlap coached Garcia on how to stand, how to raise the gun to his shoulder, follow the target and fire. Pow! It was the first time the student had shot a gun.
"I thought it was going to be a lot more recoil," Garcia said, "but the right stance really helps."
Lindsey Frische was nervous firing the first of her five shots. "It was scary, but pretty soon it got easier," she said.
Teacher Tiffany Harris tried her hand at busting a target or two. Her grin was as wide as her students.
Outdoor education is the first introduction to the outdoors for a lot of students, she said.
"We want them to learn that it can be fun to be outdoors and in nature. It gives them a chance to learn outdoor skills with people who really know what they're doing.
Flip Putthoff can be reached at fputthoff@nwadg.com or on Twitter @NWAFlip
Sports on 10/27/2015