Six Lucky Students Compete in the Annual Forestry Challenge
On Wednesday November 9th, six students embarked for the San Bernardino Forestry Challenge. Seniors Erick P., Aryadna R., Leenah H., and Yvan S. went on the trip with Juniors Jordy R. and Angela V. Ms. Davis organized this event and accompanied her students. They left at approximately 2:50p.m. on that Wednesday afternoon and arrived about four hours later at the Green Valley Lake Camp. The students stayed in cabins with very low temperatures and very little cellular signal. The main focus of the competition was to create a presentation using forest items that could be sold; these natural products had to have a second purpose for the students to “sell.” While at the camp, students learned about the forest’s trees and other wildlife, while searching the vast forest for non-timber products to use in their presentations. HMSA’s six students split up into two groups, each with three people. One team consisted of Aryadna, Jordy, and Yvan. The other team included Erick, Angela, and Leenah. In total, eighteen groups competed in the challenge. Then, on Saturday, the students presented the products they found to foresters and volunteers at the event; the judges determined what teams would win the challenge altogether. After nearly three days of hard work, HMSA obtained fourth place in the challenge. Finally, on the same Saturday, students packed up and made their way home; they arrived at school in the afternoon.
I asked some of the participants what they thought of the challenge. Aryadna R. stated that the challenge was “ really fun and educational.” She liked that the students learned “how to identify trees and calculate their age.” Erick P., who had attended the challenge last year, added that this year’s event was “very challenging, but very rewarding.”
In addition, Ms. Davis commented on her students’ performance: “I think they did extremely well, considering that they only had less than a week to prepare. I am very proud of them.” Although she said she hates driving the long hours to get to the camp, she loves “being in nature.” Ms. Davis also shared her favorite part about the event: “Most of them had never gone camping, so it’s nice to share that experience with them, and being able to do actual fieldwork.”
Despite the long drive to get to the camp and all the preparation, the students can agree their participation in the annual challenge is completely worth it. Overall, congratulations to these students for their determination and success in the San Bernardino Forestry Challenge.
