Huck Finn stories come to life for VTHS sophomores

VERNON — The study of Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn came to life for Vernon Township High School sophomores as they joined together to explore nature and the journey of the most infamous teenager in American literature.

Marc Bray, English teacher, and Mrs. Kellie Frey and Mr. Bill Panfile, biology teachers, took their classes to the woods and water to engage their own cadre of teens.

“The idea was inspired by the co-curricular ‘tribe’ contest we have had all year long in our modified level classes,” Bray said. “We wanted a way to motivate the students using competition.”

The Huckleberry Finn Exploration Project is the culminating activity in the tribal contest. The three class tribes, Labingi, Zaragama and Haradrim (based on Lord of the Rings tribes) had gathered sticks along the VTHS Eco-trail, which they then used to build model-scale rafts, outfitted much like the raft Huck and Jim drifted on down the Mississippi River.

Finally, the students were invited on a nature scavenger hunt and “raft regatta” in a stream along the Appalachian Trail.

“A project like this is fun and creative," student Anthony Bower said. "It makes what we’re learning better because it is hands-on.” McKenna Wallace added,

“I like to do things like this because I get distracted when I’m just sitting in my seat," McKenna Wallace said. "Getting up and moving around helps me to focus.”

Frey and Bray hope to do more activities like this one in the years to come.