Transcript Group 5 Leaders: Kent Steidl, David Bunde, Kelsie Meyer, Sadie Carter Students: Jake Bunde, Stephen Brunson, Stephi Dickinson, Tyler Hoppe, Kyle Olson,

Group 5
Leaders: Kent Steidl, David Bunde, Kelsie Meyer, Sadie Carter
Students: Jake Bunde, Stephen Brunson, Stephi Dickinson, Tyler Hoppe, Kyle Olson, Myranda Steidl,
Brittany Swenson, Page Woida
FRIDAY JOURNAL AND PHOTOS
FRIDAY’S JOURNAL
It was definitely five days of fun. My favorite part of the trip besides learning was
probably when we went swimming, even though it was freezing. It was cool how when
we learned things it was way more fun and interesting than just learning in a
classroom. –Brittany Swenson
My five days of South Dakota was amazing! The one thing I like the most was probably
learning about Devil’s Tower because there were many things that made it and formed
it. For an example, the cones they are from the tower shrinking and when it shrinks
pieces fall of and that was why there was rocks on the ground all around. –Myranda
Steidl
This trip is definitely going to be something I’ll remember forever. I’ve learned so much
about geology and had so much fun doing it. My favorite thing on the trip was probably
the Wind Cave. There were so many amazing features that formed and the way it
formed is amazing. Besides learning about geology, I think this trip has also brought
our class together and it will be a memory we’ll always share. –Stephi Dickinson
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We had a great five days of fun we learned more than we would do in the classroom
because you can’t get the hands on experience than you would at school. My favorite
part was going to Devils Tower because there were rock climbers and I saw a sweet
view of a snake too. –Kyle Olson
My favorite part of the trip was at Black Hills Geology Institute. Meeting Neal was a
great experience. I enjoyed listening to him talk about different types of dinosaurs,
and what are not actually dinosaurs. There were many fossils that were fun to look at.
We were able to go into the back rooms and building and not many people get to do
this. We were able to see what they were building now. –Stephen Brunson
During the five days in South Dakota, one of my favorite parts was swimming at
Cascade Falls. It was fun to be together as a class. I also liked learning about the
windmills and the energy they create. Overall, the trip was amazing and I loved all of it.
–Page Woida
`My favorite part of the trip was the bus rides with Uncle Dave. I also liked Mt.
Rushmore the first time we went it was fogged in and we couldn’t see more than the
amphitheater. The second time we went it was sunny and considered by Mrs.
Schoeneck to be the best time anyone on the trip has ever seen it. I saw a buffalo
above wind cave. My group also saw a snake at Devils tower. At the black hills geology
research institute, we learned about fossils and that at one point in time South Dakota
was covered by an ocean. I think this trip was one of the coolest things I ever did. –
Jake Bunde
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The last five days have been filled with field investigations where we always end up
learning things we think we will never use, when really we will use these things every
day, like the math we have to do - big pain but in the end it feels pretty good when you
learn something new. Also you learn how to keep you friends close and how to respect
everyone around you, again another thing you’re going to use on a daily basis. My
favorite part of this trip would have to be going to Devils Tower and learning everything I
possibly could. Like they say, this is a learning experience and just a great trip. –Tyler
Hoppe
Trip Leaders:
As you read the other posts here, one word consistently pops up: amazing. I would
have to agree. Even after 8 years of doing this trip, I still find every one amazing! You,
my 8th grade students, are amazing! You spend a lot of energy during the school year
trying to hide that fact – just wanting to be the average guy or gal. You have been
revealed. Go with it. Show your talents and abilities. You are all unique individuals
who have much to contribute to the world. Don’t ever allow anyone to tell you
otherwise, including yourself. Go forth and be amazed and amazing!
Many times in the education realm I hear people say, “We are going this for the kids”.
Sometimes it is true; many times it is not. Here, as I watch parents, college students,
teachers and all the myriad of people who help along the way, I know what “for the
kids” really looks like. No politics, no secret agendas – just everyone working together
for the benefit of another generation of 8th graders. I cannot thank all of you enough
for making this truly AMAZING adventure a reality. – Marlene Schoeneck, Science
Teacher, PPHS 
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Another year and another bus load of enthusiastic students gets to truly experience
geology on this wonderfully planned week of school in an outdoor classroom. Thanks
to all the students for their hard work, to the college students for their teaching, parent
chaperones for their active involvement, and special thanks to Marlene Schoeneck for
letting me come along and tie together the learning for the week in our on-the-bus
"geology classes". Good work, everyone! – Lee Schmitt, Hamline University
College Students:
WOW!!! What a fun learning experience. First I would like to thank Marlene. She is
outstanding and Parkers should be grateful to have such a great person. The Amount
of effort she puts into making this happen for the students is unbelievable. I would
also like to thank the students for doing so well on the investigation. They have a lot of
fun, but at the same time are serious about their learning. The Parkers community is
also thanked for supporting the trip it could not happen without you donating money,
fighting to keep it going every year, and volunteering your time to assist in the
students’ learning. Lee Schmitt, many of you do not know, but he is a master teacher
and geologist who assists with the trip by taking off work for a week just to help make
it all run smoothly.
The important people are thanked, so now to the important parts of the trip. This is my
3rd time on the trip. I personally learn so much every year. Marlene has taught me how
to be an inquiry learning
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teacher. That is just a small fraction of why I go on the investigation. I come each year
because of the students. The amount they learn in the few days is indescribable. The
trip is about science on paper, but is so much more. With the trip the students are given
the chance to pull together all of the standards they learn in 8th grade and actually see
the processes. They do this in a critical thinking way. They make observations, ask
questions, and find evidence to answer their questions. Problem solving and critical
thinking are possibly the most important skills that one can possess, and this trip is
focused on these skills. Students on the trip are able to see new places that they may
have never seen – or have not seen with a science eye. For some of them it will be the
only time they are given that opportunity. The students leave for the trip being
classmates for 8 years and come back knowing and understanding their classmates.
Throughout the week they mature and gain new respect for their peers. It is hard to
explain how this happens unless it is seen firsthand. The teamwork on the trip is great.
Something else that is beneficial is the students’ exposure to the college students. The
college students help guide the students and there could not be a learning trip without
them. I wish the best for Parkers. I have truly gained so much from my time in your
community, and hope to see the success of the trip for years to come. –Pat aka Mr.
Schuette, MSUM grad
So…Where to begin! First off, I want to thank you, Marlene. This trip has shown me so
much of myself and has brought me to realize that one day I can do a trip like this for my
future students. It is amazing how much one can learn in 5 days. These students are
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great! You learn that so much can be done in 5 days. What we learned on the geology
stops will stay with the students forever. I heard one student say that that they will
never look at rocks the same again. That is pretty amazing. My group was a great
bunch of kids who enjoyed the teamwork that it took to understand the things that they
noticed. Thank you for this great experience! I will never forget this trip. My favorite
part of the trip has been…I can’t decide! It has been an amazing adventure! Thank
you! - Sadie Carter , MSUM
I honestly had the most amazing 5 days in SD! I couldn’t believe how involved these
students became throughout the week. They are all so intelligent and this was the best
environment for them to open up in. This is my first time on the trip and I learned so
much about 8th graders. Even if they were quiet, so many in my group opened up and
had great ideas. There was so much learning involved and not just geology. It was
great to see students work as a team out in the field! I will cherish this special
experience, as even I learned so much. I hope that someday all students have
experiences like this. - Kelsie Meyer, MSUM
This is my second time on the trip, but my first time along as a university student. And
again, as I stated 5 years ago as an 8th grader myself, this is an experience of a
lifetime. The wealth of learning that takes place and knowledge that is shared is more
than anything one could learn within the 4 walls of a classroom. It would truly be a
terrible thing to ever see this trip be lost. Thanks to all who made this trip a success,
especially Mrs. Schoeneck! - Byron Herdman, NDSU
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This trip was not only a great learning experience for the kids, but me as well. Beyond
the science the students learned, they also learned about teamwork, relying on each
other to complete tasks, and respect. This trip not only taught kids about science, but
life-long lessons that that they can use in the future. The amount of work and
organization that Mrs. Schoeneck put into this trip is incredible. Both the students and
the other chaperones were extremely lucky to have such a determined individual make
this trip a possibility. I hope future classes have the opportunity to experience this trip
and take advantage of this great learning experience. I am very grateful to had had this
opportunity and the amount of knowledge that I gained on this trip will help me as I
begin my teaching career. Thank you so much. – Alex Kunesh, UM-Morris
I have learned a lot on this trip! Not only was it a good refresher of the geology I had
previously learned, but it was also an excellent opportunity to apply this knowledge and
share it with students. As one who works with kids and will soon be teaching my own
8th graders, it is very exciting and encouraging to meet and work with teachers who are
so innovative and inspirational. My hope is that one day the majority of teachers will do
things similar to this trip and all the inquiry-based learning that takes place on it. I could
see each student growing and learning as the trip went on and that was exciting! I think
these kids have learned more in 5 days than I had in my entire 8th grade class that I
barely remember. These kids will remember this trip the rest of their lives (and so will I)
and they will look at things differently (like outcrops)! The importance of trips like this is
immeasurable! Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of it. – Nika Gallo, MSUM
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8th Grade Students:
I had a lot of fun this week! I would like to thank Mrs. Schoeneck for putting this all
together. – Megan Brelsford.
This was a great experience! Thank everyone who helped put this together. – Breanna
Schluter
Thank you a lot! This trip was an amazing experience. I hope many others have the
same opportunity. – DJ Poynter
This week has been such an amazing experience that I will remember forever. Thanks
for this trip and the experience of a lifetime. –Harlee Van Santen
I really liked this trip. Some of my favorite things were when we went to Mount
Rushmore and Wind Cave. But the part I loved the most was going to the museum and
meeting Neal. – Stephen Brunson
I would do this trip again. It is extremely fun and was a real treat. – Kaleb Siegrist
This was an amazing trip and I would love to go again. I learned so much, but also had
fun at the same time! It was a great experience. – Brittany Swenson
Going to South Dakota was a blast and I would love to do it all over again if I could.
Last time I was there I didn’t know anything, but now I do. – Myranda Steidl
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Thank you for this amazing trip. I learned so much this week. It was the experience
of a lifetime. – Derek Hanson
Thank you for this amazing experience. I learned many things this week. I will not
forget this experience. – Devin Johnson
I absolutely loved this trip and I believe people shouldn’t take this for granted. It is
more than worth all the money that we raised. – Spencer Pomeranz
Thank you for this week. It was a lot of fun. It was good to get out of Parkers for a
week and have hands on experiences on science outside of the classroom. Thanks a
lot. – Matt Hanson
This week was an amazing experience! It will definitely be a memory I’ll never forget.
Thank you! – Stephi Dickinson
I have learned so much! This experience was amazing! It did bring our class closer
together. I will never forget this week. Thank you for everything that you did! - Kali
Oeltjenbruns
I just want to say thank you to all the people that have helped and supported this
amazing week. I had so much fun – even the day I fell into the creek! So, thank you
all! - Dylan Dumpprope
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This trip was one of the best experiences of my life. I learned so much and had tons of
fun. We need to keep doing these trips for younger kids to have an experience like this.
– Jake Bunde
This trip was a life-changing trip. It was very fun and I learned a lot. Thanks! – Quentin
Uran
The past 5 days have been great. This was a life-changing experience. I think we need
to keep doing this trip. Thanks! – Benton LaVan
This trip was very cool. You can’t learn this in a classroom, so we need to keep on doing
this every year for the 8th graders. Thanks very much! – Ethan Sukraw
This trip was the best! You can’t learn this in class. We need to keep on doing this for
the future 8th graders. Thanks very much! – Kyle Olson
This week was great! I had a blast and will never forget this wonderful experience.
Thank you! - Shalen Griener
Thanks everyone who helped make this trip possible! It was amazing getting to work
hands-on and getting to see and experience all these wonderful things. I had a blast! –
Jenna Leeseberg
This week I have learned a lot, versus in class. Not only that, but it was fun and I thank
everybody who made this trip happen. – Dylan Pullins
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I had a fun time. – Tyler Bettermann
This was a fun trip. We learned a lot in five days. I hope that the next 8th graders can
get this same opportunity. – Rodney Morton
This was a fun and exciting field trip. – Tristan Jahnke
This was the best trip ever. I will never forget it. – Brady Boyd
I will never forget it. It was a great experience – the best school trip I ever took! – Jonas
Gust
This trip was very interesting. It was a great experience and we learned much we
couldn’t in class. Thanks to everyone who made it possible! – Jared Sowers
This trip was a fun experience. I learned a lot, especially at Devils Tower. I will
remember this trip forever. – Zach Olson
I think these 5 days were the chance of a lifetime and I hope it can go for every year.
Also, I want to tell everyone that this wasn’t just 5 days of messing around. Thanks to
everyone who helped make this happen! – Tarin Thompson
I would like to thank everyone who helped with the trip. It was amazing! It was a great
learning experience and I would love to go again! – Micaela Noga
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For the past 5 days, I have had such a great time! I’d like to thank everybody who
donated to our field trip. My favorite part of this trip was when we went to Devils Tower
and crawling through the Badlands. Again, it was a great trip and thanks to everyone. –
Tyler Hoppe
This was AMAZING! I really liked being with all of my class for a week and all of my
teachers/adults. I can honestly say (which I did) that I love learning! I very much
appreciate anyone who contributed to helping us out for this trip. So, thank you – you
made this trip incredibly fun. – Randa Schmidt
The past 5 days were awesome. The beautiful sights like Mount Rushmore! My favorite
part of the whole trip was yesterday at the museum. I’m very interested in the dinosaurs
and their bones. – Hailey Jammerthal
Wow! Ok, so this has been so fun and I wish it hadn’t gone by so fast! It seems like we
just checked into the first KOA, but we headed home.
I liked Devils Tower a lot and
got to take a lot of really cool pictures, too. The last bus ride is literally 12 hours long. I
don’t think I’m going to complain next time we have to go to the Cities! – Manda Eide
The last 5 days have been great! It’s nice to get out of the classroom and do some
hands on work. Plus the sights were amazing! You would have never guessed that the
next state over could be so different. My favorite part was going to Pipestone. The
waterfalls were beautiful! Good luck to next year’s class. – Katielynn Zimmerman
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There were many different stops, but the best one was Wind Cave National Park. – Zac
Paine
All the rocks that we saw were awesome – especially the crystal-looking ones! – Bryce
Looker
I had a good time and everything that I saw was awesome. – Brianna Ratajesak
Parents:
Amazed at how much more than just science the kids learned. This is a great life
learning experience for the kids. Thanks for letting me come along. - Kent Steidl
This trip is truly an experience for all involved! The knowledge that is around these kids
for the whole trip is amazing. It was great to see all the kids working together, helping
others out, asking questions and doing their observations. This is my second trip and I
am still learning. These kids did a lot more than just science. There was reading, math,
writing, history, teamwork, and loads of hands on!  This trip may be only 5 days, but
what they are taking away from the experience, the memories, will last a lifetime.
Thanks! - Andrea Meissner
Again, I learned more this year than last year, but it was fun. I enjoyed working with the
kids. The older I get, the more I enjoy being able to pass on bits and pieces of info that I
know. If given the chance to do this again, I would jump at it. Many, many thanks to all!
-Charlie Jahnke
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It was really a privilege for me to chaperone the eighth grade class on this trip!! I was
very impressed with all of the organization and how smooth everything went. I learned
a lot with geology lessons from Lee and you, and the prompting for observations at
each location. I was pleasantly surprised with how good the kids were…not perfect but
definitely well-behaved. It was fun watching them work together to accomplish the
assignments. I was also impressed with how they worked and played together at camp,
setting up, prepping and cleaning up. Overall this is, in my opinion, the best thing going
on at this school in terms of getting the kids to see more of the world around them,
teaching them teamwork and social skills through living, working and playing together
for several days, and providing practical application to things taught in the classroom.
One other thing I was glad to see was the “add-on” math problems. I think there would
be more opportunities in this area, possibly with social studies doing Native American
cultural awareness. Thank you for allowing me to accompany the group. I hope that I
earned my keep. – David Bunde
Chaperone, cook, and parent on the trip. This was my first time on the trip - one word
describes my experience... AWESOME! I absolutely enjoyed the whole trip, mainly
because I did not see any snakes other than in pictures!! The teamwork between the
students was incredible, watching them help each other and apply what they had
learned through the year to their investigations and observations was beyond belief we have some really smart kids! (I learned a LOT too!) This trip was a huge success
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because of the careful planning of Mrs. Schoeneck and Lee - great job!! Lots of stuff
PACKED into 4 days, I am glad I took notes on what we did and saw! Thank you to
Uncle Dave and all the chaperones and the brilliant college students - especially Nika
(she was in my group) I would not have been able to make it through it without you!!
** They said we would lose weight on this trip, but that was before Andrea and I made
the menu!! Ha Ha! We ate very well! (Although I doubt I will be eating a sandwich any
time soon!) Thank you to the parents who sent along the cookies and bars, we had
lots of goodies to eat during the day and after supper! I may have even gained a
couple pounds on the trip! - Karie Eide
The End – Steve LaVan 
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1. Last Morning
2 Miranda Enjoying Pancakes
3 Last Time to Strike Tents
4 Alex Packing It Up
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5 Cooks Andrea and Kari
6 Bus Driver Uncle Dave and
Mickey Mouse Pancake
7 Parents Dave, Kent, Andrea, Kari, Steve, Charlie
8 University Students Pat, Alex, Byron, Nika, Kelsie
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9 Everyone Sleep With Your Head to the Left!
10 I sleep with a straw just in case I get thirsty
11 I sing opera in my sleep
12 Huhhh
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