SHALER AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT
haler area school district SHALER AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWS
This summer, six Shaler Area students experienced biology and culture during a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Ecuador. Middle school students Colby Mine, Skylar Mine, Nick Mulkerin, Paige Peterson, Katie Polochak, and Dillon Stegman, led by Teacher Dennis Reagle, first stopped in Quito, Ecuador. While in Quito, students toured a chocolate factory, Independence Square, noteworthy church architecture, and sampled local hand-made empanadas.
Students then eagerly traveled to the Galápagos Islands to learn about its geologic and community history. On San Cristobal island, students explored the island through snorkeling excursions that included swimming with sea lions, turtles, eels, sharks, seahorses, and thousands of fish. On the island of Santa Cruz, students viewed the Charles Darwin Research station, explored old volcanoes, spelunked through ancient lava tubes, and hiked through several ecological biomes, finding tortoises living in the wild. Students also visited a tortoise breeding center, where they viewed the preserved remains of Lonesome George, the last member of the Pinta Island tortoise species who died in 2012 after living over 100 years. On Isabela Island, students experienced a dazzling range of natural beauty on trips to the beaches, swimming in the grotto of Las Grietas canyon, and witnessing
26 SHALER AREA
NAME POSITION / BUILDING YEARS OF SERVICE
Doreen Braun Administrative Secretary / Elementary School 26 Judy Crilley Activities Secretary / Middle School 17 Lynn Galbraith Guidance Secretary / Middle School 26 Thomas Gray Social Studies Teacher / Middle School 27 Sherri Jaffee Director of Business Affairs 9 Melissa McConville Math Teacher / Middle School 28 Anthony Prodente Special Education Teacher / Elementary School 28 Victoria Schmitt Paraprofessional / Middle School 16 Douglas Schramm Special Education Teacher / High School 19 Deborah Shvach Math Teacher / High School 21 Frank Spiker School Resource Officer 33 James Stearns Science Teacher / High School 26
Exploring Ecuador
flamingos, blue-footed boobies, and the only penguin that lives north of the equator, all free in their native habitats.
A journey to the Andes mountains in Ecuador capped off the trip. Students hiked in a cloud forest, experienced breathtaking waterfalls, attracted colorful butterflies and hummingbirds and fed them by hand, learned how local artisans dye and weave cloth, dined on traditional rural cuisine, and shopped in an indigenous market where they practiced their haggling skills in Spanish. This trip empowered students to encounter biology in action and experience culture in a way that will energize their studies for many years to come.