If you were a student, which would you rather do-sit in a classroom and stare at a whiteboard or be outside enjoying some spring sunshine? Luckily, the sixth grade students in Superior didn’t have to answer that question. Because they were at Outdoor School all last week. Twenty-seven students along with teachers and staff members headed up to Savenac Historical Nursery for a week of outdoors games and education.

“It takes a year of prep,” said Dawn Bauer who has helped with the school for years. In its 49th year, several of the teachers were once students who attended the weeklong classes. For many it was the highlight of their school experience.

Bauer said as soon as they get back, they start to tweak the program and look at what worked and what didn’t for next year.

On Tuesday students were going to learn about pond ecology with Angie Hopwood after a lunch of hotdogs, macaroni and cheese and salads. In the kitchen, Bauer grilled up hotdogs on a giant stove, while Randy Johnson prepped the evening meal of spaghetti. Roni Phillips was also in the kitchen getting the meal ready.

“It’s just a lot of fun and there’s always a lot of good food,” Bauer said.

The breakfast definitely would get the students up with an 8 a.m. alarm. Bacon and pancakes were served one morning, biscuits and gravy the next, and French toast. Lunch and dinners were equally impressive with shredded pork, Indian Tacos and the evening wouldn’t be complete without S’mores around the campfire.

After eating, the students gathered in the old tree packing building to receive instruction about the pond ecology lesson. There was also a stern warning from Mr. Kuhl to not get the inside of the waders wet because it takes weeks to dry them out. After the meeting, they armed themselves with waders and nets and headed toward the water.

At the pond, the kids broke out into individual groups lead by the camp counselors, Superior high school students Tucker McLees, Kaylee Ray, Hannah Calloway, and Wyatt O’Day. They scooped up nets filled with water and mud and then examine it for interesting specimens. They look for things like midges, snails, mayflies, and stoneflies. Pretty much anything that crawls or flies, it would go into the ice trays for further scrutiny.

Suddenly there’s a yelp from a student, Lorayne Pittsley, who slips and falls into the cold water. She pulled herself to shore and dumps water from her waders, knowing she just broke the rule about getting them wet. But she wasn’t the only one who had an early week mishap. On Monday, Natasha Azuie fell off her kayak into the pond. She said the water wasn’t as cold as she thought it would be.

While talking about mishaps and problems Bauer said between all of the teacher, they’ve pretty much seen everything up there, “nothing really surprises us anymore.”

But through the eyes of the students everything is new and exciting. Activities for the week included a trip to an Idaho silver mine and fish hatchery; archery; fire building; astronomy; shooting; learning about trees and wildfire; Native American games; and team building exercises, just to name a few.

Almost all the kids were excited to tour the mine, others liked archery and the games they played. Sixth grade teacher, Mr. Seth Kuhl said the entire week is fun and he was happy to see the good weather. This was his fourth year teaching at the Outdoor School. He said they start planning in December for the week, lining up teachers and deciding what activities will be offered.

Outdoor School is a unique experience and part of what makes it special is its location. The Savenac Nursery was once one of the largest and oldest USDA Forest Service tree nurseries in the western United States and operated from 1907 until 1969. The Great Fires of 1910 destroyed much of the northern Rocky Mountains, including the nursery. The facility was rebuilt and instrumental in replanting the forests of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. During the height of production, the facility grew over 12 million seedlings a year. Now, the nursery serves as a memorial and educational tool for young people with about ten buildings remaining since it was first constructed.

Superior resident, Clark Conrow, 75, started the Outdoor School. He was a teacher in Alberton and then in Superior, started the program in the late 1960’s. He has worn many hats in Mineral County, including that of a county commissioner, assistant wrestling coach, and athletic director for Superior School. But the Outdoor School Program is one of his greatest achievements.

“Schools from all over Montana have sent teachers here to learn about it,” said Forest Service District Ranger, Carole Johnson in an earlier interview. “The Outdoor School has become the model for their programs.”

During an interview last year, Conrow said that for many students it’s the greatest school experience they had in school.

“A lot of them don’t get out of town and they don’t have the opportunity to participate in outdoor activities,” he said.

Over the years, the program has had an impressive list of guests who helped teach, including bear expert Chuck Jonkle; outdoor authors, the Craighead brothers; and owl expert, Denver Holt.

“Savenac is the castle of Mineral County,” said Conrow, “it’s just awesome here.”