Mt. Aetna School Study Tour Goes South

7th and 8th-grade students from Mt. Aetna Adventist School headed south for a history study tour through North and South Carolina from Oct. 16-21.

Students visited noteworthy historical sites and museums such as the McCloud Plantation, Fort Moultrie, USS Yorktown, Tyron Palace, Roanoke Island and Wright Brothers National Memorial.

The trip is part of the school’s ongoing emphasis on providing students with hands-on learning experiences beyond the classroom. The southern history study tour is one of four tours the school rotates through every other year for students in grades 5-8. Other study tours include trips to Boston, Philadelphia and Williamsburg, Va.

According to Rod Kerbs, school principal, the annual trips are important because they help students experience history on a tangible level, noting that visiting a historical site in person goes beyond what students can learn through a YouTube video. “It’s different to be able to feel it and smell it and taste it,” he says. “[History] comes alive.”

Kerbs says this year’s study tour also provided an opportunity to address spiritual issues. Glen Milam, Mt. Aetna Retreat Center director, served as the trip’s tour guide and wove the theme of the Great Controversy throughout the week as students learned about some of America’s most significant human conflicts. Kerbs adds that when students learn about the sacrifice of previous generations of Americans, they can begin to appreciate God’s sacrifice for them on deeper levels.