Mt. Ellis Academy (MEA) has long been known for its stunning natural setting and tremendous outdoor recreational opportunities. This fall, the mountains of western Montana have served not just as a playground but as a classroom.
In September, MEA students enjoyed three days of outdoor school in Yellowstone National Park. The National Park Service partnered with the school to provide field learning experiences in the areas of geology, geothermic phenomena and wolves. Students also gained extensive knowledge about the history of the park by studying the journals of a father and daughter who traveled through it on horseback in 1872. Other activities including pH and temperature testing of hot springs and geyser pools.
Days of learning gave way to evenings of worship as week of prayer speaker, Tim Gillespie, led in praise and testimony to Jesus around the campfire. What a blessing to worship together as a school family in a place of such beauty.
The students recaptured some of the experience of the early visitors to the park by sleeping in tents and enduring below-freezing nighttime temperatures and even a bit of snow. Despite these minor hardships, students and faculty had a great time learning together and growing closer to Jesus and each other.
MEA students pose at the 100-year-old entrance arch near Mammoth Hot Springs.
Students Erin Hamilton and Korine Rea put a happy face on a cold morning.
