Youngsters take to the great outdoors for lessons at Buhl Park

HERMITAGE — About 60 fifth-graders from the Farrell Area Elmentary School took their classwork outdoors Wednesday during a field trip to Buhl Park.

The trip, which also included about a dozen fourth-graders from St. John Paul II Elementary School, divided the kids into groups who rotated through five stations, park Environmental Education Director Katie Nowland said.

These stations offered fishing at Lake Julia with officials from Trout Unlimited; bird watching with Emily Borcz from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources; orienteering, which uses a compass and map reading, with Kathy Shaffer from Penn State Shenango; learning about climate change with students from the eAcademy; and building fish habitats with rangers from the Army Corps of Engineers at Shenango River Lake.

The trip was organized by the Shenango River Watchers, in collaboration with park officials, Nowland said.

Wednesday marked the first field trip to the park by Farrell’s fifth-graders since before the COVID-19 pandemic. Sharon City School District, which also used to visit the park annually, will have students visit the park this week.

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