Ecology Camp
In August, we held our first ecology camp. 11 Step Up students attended along with 5 students from the Absolute school.
The idea to hold the camp came about a while ago; it often cropped up at teachers’ meetings. Thanks to the support of the Peri Foundation, the house in Novopetrovsk was finally completed and fit to welcome guests, including young naturalists. Our brilliant Step Up teachers organised a range of unique, educational activities centred around four laboratories: landscaping, botany, zoology and water ecology.
Every workshop was led by a Step Up teacher: Ekaterina Olegovna led physics classes, Nina Ivanovna and Arseni Kirillovich led biology classes, and Taisia Evgenyevna led geography classes.
The ecology camp was held in the Pskov Region- in particular, in a house situated in the forest. It is a unique, spectacular place, boasting an array of flora and fauna. August is the optimal time to observe its wildlife. Storks nest in the Pskov Region; grass and flowers line the roads. You might encounter a toad in your tent at night, or a mole on the way to work; foxes and hares race down the road while insects frequent the nearby rivers. In other words, you are guaranteed to see something new, recharge your batteries and spark an interest in nature.
Many of the students that attended the camp will be sitting exams next year. We believe that the camp experience, the experience of nature, will support them through the next academic year.
We hope that such informative expeditions ‘in the wild’ will become an annual tradition. We are extremely grateful to the Absolute Help Foundation for supporting us financially to make the camp possible this year.
Thank you also to Step Up teachers for running the camp and enlightening our students.
