The Settler

Issue date: 8/25/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Kevin Rock Left to Right back: Tonya Reed, Christian Horner, Alicia Azimipour, Kevin Rock, Lindsey McVey, Keith Bell Front: Alicia Rittenberry, Amber Bond, Travis Pommer, and Matthew "Woosh" Walling. The group poses in front of The White Throne, a site at Angel's Landing.

Media Credit: Keith Bell This shot is taken from the overlook at the Grand Canyon Visitor's center.

A group of 13 students and two teachers took a trip across the Southwest experiencing the excitement of travel and learning about different cultures.
Keith Bell, associate professor, and Clark Cropper, instructor, took applications and had interviews with students wanting to go. They wanted to make sure to take students who wanted to learn, rather than be on "vacation," Bell said.
"It was very important for us to have a good, comfortable group dynamic because you don't want polarizing personalities on a trip like this," Bell continued.
Tonya Reed, a Vol State sophomore, was surprised by how well the group got along, considering they did not know each other.
"We managed to work together and cooperate with each other. Everyone pitched in when camp chores needed to be done. Everyone brought enthusiasm and a good attitude which really made the trip fun," said Reed.
Before the students could begin the traveling, they had to spend the first week of Maymester in class to know what to expect.
The next two weeks consisted of driving and camping.
The group only camped at three places, Zion National Park in Utah, the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona, and in Mesa Verde, Colo.
According to swft.blogspot.com, a blog about the trip, the group also visited Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Foss State Park, Homolovi Ruins State Park, and several other places.
"My favorite part was Zion Nat'l Park. It was so serine and nice there. I usually don't like traveling to the same place twice, but I would definitely go back there in a heartbeat," said Reed.
Bell believes a student should be taken out of their comfort zone in order to learn more from a hands-on experiment.
"There are many goals of the trip, to put it in a nutshell, the goal is to experience," said Bell. "We can talk about all these things but being in the field and actually seeing, touching, smelling everything about it was to put them in a different world. The big goal was to let students know it is easy to travel," Bell added.
Bell hopes that the students were able to see the world through other people's eyes.
"The world is a lot bigger than this little area we live. To be uncomfortable for awhile is a way to really grow," Bell said.
Bell enjoyed the traveling but said his favorite thing was meeting new people
Reed was impressed by her teachers' knowledge on the trip.
"Professor Cropper was very knowledgeable of the Geology and made me really appreciate and understand what I was seeing. Professor Bell really conveyed the importance of the Native tribes to the area and lined up a park ranger that really cared and respected the Hopi people," Reed said.
Students had to pay for the Maymester course and also write a check for $1,000 for the trip. Bell said the college foundation helped a lot by giving the group scholarship money to help fund the trip.
Another field trip is being planned by Bell and Cropper for this summer. Bell said the format of the trip may change. They may visit some different areas this year.
Students who are interested in taking the adventure this year can contact Bell at 230-3788.

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