Onekama Eighth Grade Students Take Trip to Chicago

Jade Bolthouse, Onekama Middle School Student

I could see my breath as the Hartzler bus rolled up to the school. I’d gotten up even before my alarm went off at quarter to five. Most of the Onekama eighth graders hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before we left for Chicago. We were all too excited about actually going to a city and especially one with more than a million people living in it.

The bus started its long journey to Chicago on May 30 at 6:30am. The bus ride wasn’t as boring as you may think. We watched movies, played cards, and just talked. The teachers also had games for us. Each teacher made up an educational question about something we have learned in their class and the first correct answer to be pulled out of a bag won a prize such as money or a T-shirt.

We arrived at Shedd's Aquarium around 11am. "The thing I liked most about the aquarium was the scavenger hunt that Mrs. Warman made up for us," says Rick Cederholm. The hunt consisted of a page of questions that required students to interact with the aquatic life and their environments. "I actually learned at lot by doing that scavenger hunt," says Sarah Acker, "like that the most common fish in Lake Michigan is the sturgeon."

The students also visited The Field Museum of Natural History, Navy Pier, and the John Handcock Observatory. "It was so neat to see all those buildings…I mean, I’ve never see anything that big before, especially around here," commented Andrea Maidens.

After the students, teachers, and chaperones checked into the Radisson hotel, mostly everyone took part in the pool water fights. "We stayed up almost all night, just talking and pigging out with our roommates. I only got 4 hours of sleep that night, but it was worth it. I had so much fun," said Kayla Miller in a sleepy voice.

The next morning when the wake up call sounded, students could be seen rubbing the sleepies out of their eyes and getting ready for Six Flags Great America. When we pulled into the park, it looked like a tangled mass of colored metal. There were so many roller coasters I couldn’t believe my eyes; they weren’t huge, but big enough to give you a ride for your money. "I had fun just hanging out with my friends. It was also fun because it’s not something I do everyday," said Mike Coryell.

After we finally tired of spinning in circles and eating cotton candy, it was time to go home. The bus soon became a big sleeping area as students became hushed and brought out their pillows. The ride home was very long since we hit rush hour in Chicago. By the time we arrived home at 1:30am, the only noise heard was the soft snoring of sleeping teenagers.

We really had a great time on our class trip and we owe Mrs. Warman a big thanks for organizing everything for us. Mrs. Warman also enjoyed herself–here’s what she had to say about the trip. "Organizing the Chicago trip was a real learning experience for me as a teacher and advisor. There were times when I wondered if all this work was worth it. All my doubts vanished the minute we stepped on the bus and headed for Chicago. We were a traveling example of teamwork through hands on experience promoted through cooperative learning!"

Chicago Trip // Main School Page