A QUESTING we will go!

This picture is from a summer hiking trip on the AT in Baxter State Park near Roaring Brook. My daughter & her boyfriend joined us before heading back to college (my husband took the photo).



I've been working with my classes on their quests. They are loving it! We finished our rough drafts and we're test-hiking them tomorrow and Thursday. We'll then switch quests with the other class to see if they can figure it out. We now have to get our boxes, journals and stamps, but we should have our final quests done in a few weeks. I'm really proud of how well they are doing.


A 7th grade teacher asked me about working on a project in the school forest and she was thinking of some kind of scavenger hunt related to math. I lent her my questing book & now she's excited to give it a try. It's fun to have an idea catch on.





Had our first frost of the season last night. Monarchs are taking flight. Lots of leaves are changing colors & a student said they saw a flock of geese heading south. The seasons are a changing!

A Few Photos from the Summer

Here are a few random photos from our program this summer. Pam and I are having a good deal of success with our TGIATF program, thanks to Pam's hard work putting it all together. She has really kept the kids busy. The past three Fridays have been spent learning about the trail through various activities, such as videos, excerpts, and a webquest. Last Friday, we had a former thru-hiker come in as a guest speaker (Rita hooked us up. Thanks, Rita.) In two weeks, we are taking our class out on the trail for the first time. The kids really seem to be enjoying the change of pace on Fridays and I truly believe they are making the connection to the curriculum through the Journeys theme we have built the English course and the AT program around. Looking forward to seeing everybody in the fall.

Hi all,
Pam and I nearly ran into a bit of trouble with our program. Two days before school started, an administrator informed Pam that her schedule was being changed and she would no longer be team teaching with me. We were both really fired up and went straight to the prinicipal, who, initially, was in agreement with the other administrator's decision. Pam and I fought hard, however, and in the end, we were allowed to continue with our plan. So, this Friday is the first of our Thank Goodness (we were careful to avoid the word "God") It's Appalachian Trail Friday (TGIATF). Pam has done a great job getting the stuff lined up and Rita has been a great resource. I'm really looking forward to seeing how our students will respond to our efforts.
Good luck with your school years.
Noah

Greetings from Maine!

Hi everyone,

I hope the new school year is getting off on a good note. We start school on Monday & the kids arrive on Tuesday. I'm excited about working on the QUEST project with the kids.

Elaine & I spent Thursday hiking in Acadia National Park. It was a bit overcast, but a beautiful day to attempt the Beehive, Gorham Mountain and the South Bubble. We saw some leaves starting to change color while on the ride to the park. Fall is on it's way to Maine!

I even did some hiking on the AT in Baxter State Park while my daughter was home visiting from college a few weeks ago. I didn't get to the top to Baxter Peak, but did enjoy the "Owl" and Katahdin Stream.

Best wishes, Anita

AT Hiker. No Limits

Greetings All,

Spent the last 3 days family camping at Pine Grove Furnace State Park enjoying time with the family in the woods. Hiked up to Pole Steeple even after being pre-warned about a morning sighting of a copperhead.

Had lunch at the general store where hikers pass through for the 1/2 gallon ice cream challenge. A small lady (4'8") and 57 years young was spending the night at the hostal after 3 months on the trail. She needed a ride to the ATM about 10 miles up the road. Had a good chat on the ride. Gave high compliments of trail condidtions and PATC. She went by the name "Baggins".

My 7 year old is ready to hike the trail.

Hope all is well,
Steve Glassmann

TTEC photos

Julie, Ann, and Olga at Weaverton Cliffs