Imagine being able to jump off the side of a boat, flippers first, into the crystal blue ocean waters of the Florida Keys, all while being able to say “I'm in class right now." That's part of what Project Bio entailed for Munster High School students.
First Boat Ride Maille
Scuba Diving Looe Key Nicole Jen
They told us before the class started that everyone in the class would become family. Well, no one believed it at the beginning but by the end, we all found it had been true.
And, I'm sure everyone in the class was relieved it was true. Many of us talked to and even became friends with people we probably never would have if it wasn't for the class.
Project Bio was by far the class that impacted my high school career in the most positive way. It's sad to hear that my class was the last to go on the trip and experience everything the class has to offer. No one wanted to believe we could be the beginning of the end.
The Last Project Bio Class Maille
During the first half of the school year, the class studied and learned about how the Great Lakes were formed, and we even took a hiking trip to the Indiana Dunes. But it was the second half of the class most students appreciated the most.
The class then switched its center to Florida, specifically the Florida Keys and the Everglades. We learned how Florida was settled from the Seminal Indians to Henry Flagler and his railroad. We were educated on how the Everglades work and the many ecosystems it encompasses.
Then one week in April, the class piled into a bus at 3 in the morning and made our way to the airport. For some of the student, it was their first time on an airplane. We camped in Big Pine Key for a week. Bringing four teachers, one administration staff, and 21 kids. The class went beyond learning in a textbook. We got hands-on experience with what we had been learning about in class. The called it “the only moving classroom in Munster"
Tent City Maille
Our phones were taken away every day so we wouldn't be distracted and get to know the people we were on the trip with, which in my opinion was a great idea. We were far too busy during the day to worry about what was happening back at home anyway.
From snorkeling in various reefs, wading to Picnic Island, walking the Five Palm trail and seeing the Key Deer refuge we were very busy bees. It was the trip of a lifetime and amazing to think it all happened through a High School class.
We endured bumpy boat rides through the ocean, where half of the class got seasick and even one of the worst thunderstorms ever. But despite those small bumps in the road I would like to think the whole class would agree it just made the trip more memorable.
Walking Five Palms Trail Maille
But the whole class wouldn't have been possible without the teacher that took his time to teach the class, get the trip together, and babysit us for a week.
He is a truly amazing man, always so enthusiastic about every aspect that had to do the class and I'm sure he has crushed the class is over.
He came to be a father figure to many of us and we learned what a remarkable and patient man he was. It was amazing to see his face light up when he would teach us about the mangroves or when he would mention something from the previous years trip.
Mr. Hautzinger Finally relaxing Maille
It really crushes me to think that the administration at my school could not see how much this class truly impacts every student who takes it.
Many people probably just saw the class as a way to get out of school or just a trip to Florida, but it was so much more than that. It allowed me, personally, to really realize I wanted to major in marine biology. There are hardly enough words to describe how the class impacted me and certainly everyone before who had taken it.
It allowed me to leave High School with amazing memories and friends that I will be able to share for the rest of my life. Knowing this because my mom also had the opportunity to take the class when she went to High School, now I can hear her memories and compare them with that of my own.
So, to the class that truly impacted me the most in High School, I sourly say Goodbye.
