Lynch Elementary School first-graders visit Outdoor Center at Skinner Lake

With the completion of fifth-grade trips to the R. Michael Supernault Outdoor Education Center at Skinner Lake the first-grade classes from around the District have been taking their turns at the beautiful outdoor classroom.

On Wednesday, students in Mrs. Katherine Ruhlman's class made their way to the center and spent the afternoon studying habitats.

Students also got a chance to stand on a beaver lodge on Skinner Lake. Back at the Outdoor Center classroom, students got an up close and personal look at snakes and other displays.

On Wednesday, students had a special treat when wild turkeys showed up around the classroom. More pictures are available on the District's photo gallery.

Schickler Elementary School students enjoy a day at Skinner Lake

Mr. Chaffin's fifth-grade class headed to the Skinner Lake Outdoor Education Center on Thursday, September 17, and netted some frogs, water bugs and a whole lot of fun.

International contigent of Advanced Placement teachers visit LCS Outdoor Center

On a sun-filled, warm Thursday, about a dozen Advanced Placement Environmental Science teachers trekked to Skinner Lake to work on techniques and skills for teaching AP Environmental Science courses.

The R. Michael Supernault Outdoor Education Center, a District-owned, 80-acre outdoor classroom is usually the destination of District students for science education during the school year.

Among the teachers visiting the Center on Thursday, June 18, were teachers from Chicago, Illinois, New York State, and teacher Viviana Mendoza Lozano, an AP Psychology and Philosophy teacher from La Paz, Bolivia who wants to expand her teaching into environmental science.

There were also a number of teachers from Genesee County school districts at the Center on Thursday. A total of 220 teachers will attend the Institute before it ends next week.

The first of two Advanced Placement Summer Institute sessions ends Friday. The second begins next week. Lapeer East High School is the host for the Institute and is the only public high school in Michigan offering a summer AP Institute. It is the second year, East has hosted the event.

Photo at top is a group of teachers looking through specimens pulled from Skinner Lake for study. Second photo is a picture of Bolivian teacher Viviana Lozano. To see more pictures of the teachers at Skinner Lake go to the photo gallery.

Zemmer students enjoy fresh air, make the news

The first wave of students from Zemmer Junior High School to visit the R. Michael Supernault Outdoor Education Center this week were expected to be the subject of an ABC news segment today.

Students from Zemmer will be visiting the Skinner Lake outdoor center in separate groups all week. In the photo at right, instructor Al Hoppe is interviewed by Channel 12 reporter Randy Conat. The segment was expected to run about 5:30 p.m.

In addition to four science stations, students will be working on English Language Arts, math, art and physical education classes at the 80-acre, District-owned center.

To see photos from today's visiting go to the District photo gallery here.

Zemmer Junior High students to study in the great outdoors next week at Skinner Lake

Natural classroom lighting will take on a whole new meaning for Zemmer Junior High School students who will gather at the R. Michael Supernault Outdoor Education Center at Skinner Lake for a full day of classes in a variety of subjects all next week, beginning Tuesday.

Students will work on math, English, art and even fishing skills – part of the physical education program – during their school day at the center.

The center is an 80-acre District owned property in a beautiful, rural setting in Oregon Township. It is primarily used for science field trips for students from Lapeer and other area districts.

There will be eight stations that students will rotate through during the school day. Four of the stations will involve science subjects including, water quality testing, macro invertebrate collection, classification and observation in a lab setting.

For English, students will write about their surroundings, using their senses.

Math will involve using trigonometry functions to measure the height of a tree.

An outdoor art class will have the students drawing what they see around them.

Fishing rods, received through an outdoor health and physical education grant, will be used as part of the outdoor education and physical education class for that day.

Seaton students visit R. Michael Supernault Outdoor Education Center

It was the sixth-graders, in Mr. Cory Hoggard's Seaton Elementary School class, turn to visit the R. Michael Supernault Outdoor Education Center on Thursday, April 30th.

Students from around the District have been making their spring trips to the beautiful 80-acre, District owned outdoor classroom in Oregon Township.

Recent rains have filled the ponds and wetlands and the students at one point were greeted by a pair of nesting Canada geese.

Mr. Al Hoppe, the teacher at the outdoor center, led the students on a hike to various ponds and wetlands to collect a variety of spring specimens, such as frogs eggs, larvae and insects.

Back at the center, it was time to sort them out by scientific classifications and then look at them under a stereo microscope in one of the cabin classrooms at the center.

Photos of the students are available at the District photo gallery.