Earth and Space Science has a whole other dimension when you get to meet the people who are on the cutting edge of space exploration. Our Grade 6 and 9 students had the chance to meet and learn from space science engineers from the Algonquin Radio Observatory (ARO). This Included some animated dinner time conversation, star gazing, tour of the ARO and a question and answer period session about careers in Earth and Space Science. We are planning a field trip to the largest parabolic antenna in Canada. The Algonquin Radio Observatory was inaugurated in 1959 at Traverse Lake in the Algonquin National Park in Ontario. It was created by the National Research Council of Canada for Canadian radio astronomers who needed a site where radio interference would be minimal.
The unusually warm weather brought out a whole menagerie of life, from frogs to flowers. Some really strange birds were seen, as well as tracks of foxes, moose, and other wild critters. We visited the huge radio dish and observed the most amazing sky featuring a planetary alignment with Mars, Venus, our moon, and Jupiter! Also the Milky Way was clear and spectacular- far away from light pollution. Another amazing element was visiting the Atomic Clock worth over 1 million dollars!
Not to mention that our hikes provided ample opportunity to connect to a richly biodiverse ecosystem in Algonquin Park for our Sustainable Ecosystem unit for next term. We also had the remarkable opportunity to meet Mr. Micheal Runtz in the park. Mr. Runtz is one of Canada’s most respected naturalists, nature photographers and natural history authors. He joined us for a hike as he took pictures of wildlife. The grade 6 class also participated in this field trip. THANKS go to Mr. Levéillé and Ms. Tansoiyu and to all the parents who assisted with our trip!