Haines High School students didn’t go to class Tuesday afternoon—and some of their teachers came with them.
The school-sanctioned hooky was part of the high school’s fourth annual Extreme Adventure Day, an event where classes are canceled and students participate in outdoor activities instead.
Lilly Boron, who teaches social studies, Spanish and cooking at the high school, said the event was introduced as an effort to improve the school’s atmosphere.
“Our school kind of felt like it was in a funk and we needed a pick-me-up,” Boron said. “We decided to do something that fostered a good school climate.”
This year, the school canceled all afternoon classes and split students into two groups, one of which hiked up Mount Riley, while the other did a scavenger hunt. Originally the plan was to take the full day off to hike the Skyline trail up Mount Ripinsky, but the plan was amended because of the weather.
“It was foggy and rainy and the weather wasn’t right for it,” said Boron, who was one of the chaperones for the Mount Riley hike. She said she hopes to schedule another similar event before the school year is over.
Middle schoolers also had a half-day off for a hike to Battery Point.
Matt Davis, a high school math teacher and a chaperone for the Mount Riley hike, said the event had, again, proven itself successful.
“It makes for a positive learning climate,” he said.