Albany students to attend outdoor camp

Nancy Smith Elementary School’s fifth grade class will attend an outdoor science camp right after the Thanksgiving holidays.

Teachers Candy Balliew, Teri Antilley, André Raymond and principal Jonathan Scott will attend camp with the students.

“Outdoor school is a great opportunity for our students to make real-life connections to the materials they have learned or will learn in the classroom,” said Scott.

The group will leave Nancy Smith the morning of Monday, Nov. 26 and return on Wednesday, Nov. 28.

Outdoor camp has become a tradition for the local fifth graders, and this is the third year for the group to attend YMCA Camp Grady Spruce, located on the shoreline of Possum Kingdom Lake, for the learning experience.

The TEKS based outdoor education camp allows the students to be outdoors and have the opportunity to learn while exploring trails, hiking Johnson’s Peak, canoeing, fishing, orienteering, and boating to Devil’s Island.

Students will have the opportunity to learn about the horizontal stratification of various rock formations and the chemical components within them and about native flora and fauna during a one and a half mile hike to the summit of Johnson’s Peak.

Students are also given instruction on fire building and fire safety before trying to start a fire using primitive techniques.