Some 210 Wood River Middle School sixth graders get to go camping next week.
Come Monday, about half the sixth graders will depart for Cathedral Pines north of Ketchum for an overnight outing. They'll return on Tuesday. The other half will leave on Thursday and return Friday.
The outing is the Middle School's 33rd annual Residential Outdoor Environmental School, more commonly referred to as the ROES Camp.
"We're looking forward to being back at Cathedral Pines after missing last year because of the Castle Rock Fire," said sixth grade teacher Greg Gvozdas, who was assigned news media coordination for the event. The overall coordinator for the outing is sixth grade teacher Bridget Kapala.
"Our overall goal is to help bond the kids as a grade because they come from four different schools and to help them gain a greater appreciation for the environment," Gvozdas said.
The students will attend three different skill classes at Cathedral Pines. A "water investigations" class will involve testing for water purity. Second, a "global awareness" course will teach the youngsters about the interrelationship of environment and species population. Third, the students will study "animals and plants" in a course that examines edible flora and predator-prey relationships.
The students will spend a night at Cathedral Pines. Groups of 10 or 11 will be housed in cabins along with a Middle School adult staff member and a Wood River High School student counselor.
The group going to camp Monday is referred to as the Silver Team while the group leaving Thursday is called the Gold Team.
"Parents should drop their children off at 8:15 a.m. at the Middle School with all their gear on the day they go to camp," Gvozdas said. "And if they could pick them up at 6 p.m. at the Middle School on the day they come back, that would be great."
