Hiking for Exercise and Real-Life Skills

The trails behind Somers Intermediate School aren’t just for walking in nature; they’re also an outdoor educational space for students.

“It’s great to get students out of the school and into nature for a few minutes,” Mrs. Jaime Pryschlak said. “If you go far enough, there’s even an outdoor classroom that can be used by teachers as needed.”

The weather was unseasonably warm for students as they started their hiking unit in physical education classes last week. The classes meet in the gym as usual while students make sure they have the right equipment needed for class: sneakers and a trail map. Students without sneakers can borrow a pair from the gym closet. 

“We’re hiking, but it’s more than hiking. We’re experiencing nature,” said Ava I. “It feels good to be out in nature.”

Mr. Thomas Albano made sure that every group of students had a map and then reiterated how to read it. That meant following the colored lines marking the trail routes, knowing which trails they planned to take, and understanding how to orient the map based on where they were standing in relation to a landmark. In this case, that landmark was the school itself.

“We’re taking the Red to Blue, and then following Blue back to Yellow,” Mr. Albano said, explaining the planned trail routes for the day. “Then walking Yellow to White to bring it all the way around until we’re back at the school.”

Once outside, students eagerly took to the trails, with Mr. Albano leading the way and Mrs. Pryschlak following at the end. Along the way, students learned to respect nature by not picking up things they found on the trail and not leaving anything behind.

“If you drop something you should pick it up and not leave it there,” Elle P. said. “If you find something, you should leave it there and not take it with you.”

“If you find an old ruin, you can’t pick up a souvenir,” added Ava. “You leave it there and just experience it. You can take pictures, but not take it.”

Multiple times, Mr. Albano stopped to show students how to read their map and locate where they currently were within the trail system. That included learning about how to look for and recognize the trail markers painted on trees. Students worked together to practice reading maps and trail markers as they navigated the different colored trail routes. The hikes take about 15 minutes round trip. Once students make it back to school, they return to the gym with time to stretch before the class period is over.