
Valley Rivers Middle School students take learning on the road
On Tuesday, November 21, 7th and 8th graders from Valley Rivers Middle School traveled to Caribou to experience learning outside of the classroom. Through a series of rotations, 118 learners and 11 staff/chaperones got to visit the National Weather Service station, Nylander Museum, Caribou Historical Society and Museum and Caribou Wellness and Recreation Center. Here, Donald Dumont, Warning Coordination Meteorologist from the National Weather Service, led the groups through a tour of some of the equipment both inside and outside of the station and explained how it is used to help make important predictions of the areas local weather. Dumont also shared some extreme weather video clips to help give learners an understanding of how dangerous weather can be. (Courtesy of Valley Rivers Middle School)
- At the Nylander Museum, learners had the opportunity to listen to Mr. Ketch, the great-grandson of Olof Nylander, and Debbie Nichols, a board member, explain the personal collections of his grandfather that consisted of geology, archaeology, paleontology, taxidermy, shells, and butterflies. In a thank you letter written to Mr. Ketch, learners wrote, we “were intrigued by the many pieces that date back to the earliest days of the settlement of our county.” (Courtesy of Valley Rivers Middle School)
- Dennis Harris, the Museum Manager for the Caribou Historical Society, talked about important events in history of the area, including Eleanor Roosevelt’s stop in town during a road trip. Learners also got a chance to see the many artifacts both upstairs and downstairs including old fashion home furnishings and business memorabilia. VRMS learners stated in their thank you letter, “We loved seeing the War artifacts from the Civil War, World War I and World War II. Seeing the prosthetic leg and skeleton was amazing.” (Courtesy of Valley Rivers Middle School)