WEST COLUMBIA, S.C. -- It’s not often that getting a little wild in an educational setting is encouraged.
But getting wild -- as in back to nature, studying wildlife and the environment -- is exactly what students and educators from Busbee Creative Arts Academy did earlier this month with a three-day trip to Camp Leopold.
The STEM-based environmental education program draws students from around the state to the Pinewood-based South Carolina Waterfowl Association camp, which emphasizes enhancing and perpetuating South Carolina’s wildlife heritage through education and habitat conservation, according to the camp website.
Busbee students have attended Camp Leopold in previous years, but this was the longest stay, according to Principal Stephanie Hucks.
“This year our students were able to step away from the daily grind of school and experience the classroom outdoors,” Hucks said. “All of the teacher and parent chaperones really enjoyed spending time with the students in a setting that allowed students to be kids and have fun learning about the environment and nature in general.”
The 95 sixth- and seventh-graders participated in a number of courses over the three days, among them Exploring the Wetlands, Team Challenge, Field Chemistry, Spineless Wonders, Celestial Navigation, Forest Ecology, Track Casting, Campfire, Night Walk and the Zipline.
The Zipline, Hucks said, was especially popular among students, many first-timers to the activity. “It was great to see so many students cheering each other on when the fear of heights got the best of them.”
The camp trip also gave students a chance to learn more about themselves.
“My favorite activity at Camp Leopold was the Zipline, because it was the most fun and daring out of all the activities,” said Busbee student Aisha Oree Flores. “I felt nervous at first, but then when Camp Leopold staff member Harrison launched me, I felt a rush of excitement go through me like a zap of lightning! One thing I learned about myself is that I am more daring than I think.”
Over the next few years, more than 1,100 Lexington Two elementary and middle school students will participate in classroom and camp experiences through the Camp Leopold program.
It’s an experience that many participants will always remember.
“Your time at Camp Leopold feels like paradise,” Aisha said.