High School Students Visit the 'Last Frontier'

By Emma Brown

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA — High school students from Brighton who earned a 2.5 GPA or higher received an incentive award trip to Alaska. The destination was actually chosen during the year by the high school students themselves, which allowed them to have a goal to work towards.

Many students qualified for the trip, but with the hectic summer schedules that students now have, only five young ladies were able to attend the trip along with their chaperones and Brighton education advisor and Education director. The students that attended the trip were Kelly Haught, Reba Osceola, Stephanie Smith, Shelby Huff and Heather Peterson.

The journey began with an eight-and-a-half hour flight from Orlando, Fla. to Anchorage. From Anchorage the students boarded the Alaskan Railroad for a four hour ride to Seward. The four hour train ride into Seward offered breathtaking scenery that made the ride feel much shorter.

Along the way students were able to dine while taking in the surrounding scenery. They saw beautiful mountain sides, awesome glaciers, moose, Dahl sheep, Eagles, beavers and much more. Once in Seward the group was taken to the Seward Sea Life Center which offered an amazing look inside the Alaskan sea life.

Next the students checked into the Wind Song Lodge which was absolutely breathtaking. From their they took a two hour walking tour of Exit Glacier, which took them close enough to a tidal glacier that they were within the glacial climate that is created by the glacier itself.

The following morning the students bordered a boat for a five hour luncheon cruised of the Kenai Fjords. Traveling by boat provided students with sites of a humpback whale, Orcas whales, sea otters, and Stellar sea lions. Fortunately the students were able to catch a few pictures of these amazing creatures before being caught in a ferocious storm that caused 10–12 foot seas.

The ship’s captain announced via intercom that the passengers were bearing witness to seas that many people will never see, and probably would never want to see. This incident definitely tested the captain’s navigational abilities, as well as, providing a little excitement for the students.

The next day the students were taken on a 10 hour tour of the grand city of Anchorage stopping at the Alaskan Heritage Museum and the Alyeska Ski Resort.

All of the students had an amazing time visiting and learning about the beauties and natural wonders found in Alaska. This trip rewarded students for their outstanding academic efforts for the year while offering them a great deal of education and geography at the same time.