Summer Trip Teaches Skills For District 281 Students

The old Chinese proverb, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day.  Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime” came to life this summer for nine students in the Robbinsdale Area Schools’ Highview Alternative Program, and it was a life lesson the students will never forget. 

Dustin Dobitz, science teacher at Highview, along with his colleague, Jim Wangensteen, took the students to the Laketrails Base Camp in Lake of the Woods for a nine-day wilderness trip.

It’s an annual trip that students and staff at Highview take, and they begin planning for it in the spring.  Students learn to survive in the wilderness, dealing with sun, wind, rain, campfire cooking, tent camping, canoeing, portaging and more. 

“It was great to see nine kids who really didn’t know each other come together and accomplish MANY things,” Dobitz said.  “And they got along really well!”

By going on this trip, students are able to earn high school elective and physical education credit.  In addition, students keep a journal of their experiences. 

All but one student will return to Highview for the 2012-2013 school year.  Michael Specht completed his high school credits and graduated after this trip.

(Informatin provided by a Robbinsdale School District press release.)