By Ava Franks
With the stunning weather leading up to the Hudson River Field Trip, no one expected how unforgiving the winds and temperature would be on the morning of October 16.
Although the cold was more than just unpleasant that day, an overall feeling of community and lightheartedness surrounded the event as veteran high schoolers guided sixth graders through the day on a scientific exploration of the Hudson River.
At 8 am several science classes gathered near the Maher gym and began their journey, by foot, down Main Street to Matthiessen Park where they would be setting up scientific stations of study, ranging anywhere from identifying fish to measuring currents in the water.
As the morning progressed, it seemed the temperature dropped. People were calling their parents and asking for winter gear, using paper towels as insulation, huddling together to keep warm.
“People had their parents bring [extra] items of clothing because it was that cold,” says Adama Ahmed, a junior.
However even with the frigid weather, students seemed to thoroughly enjoy the experience and find fulfillment in helping out their younger peers.
“That was probably the coldest I’ve been in my entire life,” says Callie Crespo, a junior. “[but] I thought it was fun to help out the sixth graders because it helped us learn through teaching them and it was just fun to interact with other grades in the school.”
Sitting around picnic tables, the sixth graders were either taking notes on their physical surroundings, recording animal life found in the water, or calculating the different chemical properties of the water.
“It was fun to see how excited the kids were by all the fish,” says Nicole Radlauer, a senior.
For the entire day, the park was alive with laughter and conversation from both the sixth graders and the high schoolers. The field trip was once again a success for the Irvington school community.
