SWAMPSCOTT — More than 100 Swampscott Middle School sixth graders will head up to Saco, Maine next week for a three-day stay at the Ecology School.
Principal Jason Calichman has been a driving force behind the trip, both this year and in years past. He described the trip as an opportunity for his students to build camaraderie with each other and their teachers, while simultaneously learning about sustainability.
“It’s sort of that science-based, experiential, hands-on learning,” Calichman said. “Getting the kids out in nature, off their phones, and thinking about sustainability and ecology.”
This is a return to the Ecology School, after going to Nature’s Classroom in Charlton for the past several years. Calichman described this upcoming trip as a new experience, regardless, as the Ecology School recently opened new facilities that his students and staff have yet to experience.
“Post-COVID, it just felt like we needed to try something, Calichman said. “It finally feels like we’re gaining momentum back.”
To attend the trip, Calichman has rescheduled his Oct. 10 interview with the School Committee for the Superintendent of Schools position that will become vacant when Pamela Angelakis retires next June.
As part of the stay, students will experience three ecosystem-based lessons a day, exploring food systems, the forests, fresh water sources, and other natural areas nearby. They will explore the environment first-hand, climbing over rocks to discover salamanders, using soil cores to measure nutrients in fields, and recording field observations of a nocturnal forest.
In total, 124 students will be attending and 13 teachers will be chaperoning, but Calichman gave credit to sixth-grade teachers Danielle Wozney, Lisa Rapisarda, and Amanda Wood for their contributions to organizing the trip. The trio’s preparation for the trip goes back to the spring, as Calichman emphasized the extra time they have dedicated is fully volunteer.
“The kids are lucky to have teachers that dedicated,” Calichman said.
Wozney said she was intrigued by the Ecology School due to its on-site garden.
“They talk a lot about food waste,” Wozney said. “And how to just think more eco-friendly and worldwide with your food and shopping choices.”
Students’ cell phones are kept away from them throughout the entirety of the experience, with the exception of daily calls made to their families.
Rapisarda said the students have expressed their anticipation for the trip.
Many local organizations have donated to the school to assist in making the trip financially feasible. Rapisarda named the Jauron Family Foundation, Swampscott Rotary, and the school’s Parent Teacher Organization as some of the most crucial contributors.
“We couldn’t do it without them, we really couldn’t,” Rapisarda said.
