Adventure Studies is a class that is offered in IL district 204. This class started because of the dreams of one man...Mr. Pankuch. This class, is truly his creation, which he has now shared with three different classes at Waubonsie Valley High School. Although Mr. P started the class, he also gets a lot of help from other teachers and friends. Al, one of Mr. P's friends, teaches along with Mr. P in the field section of the course. Mr. P and Al's friend Ro, also comes out on trips to help us. Finally some teachers, such as Ms. Burgstrom, Mrs. Howe, and Mr. DiTella help out with trips too.

During the class, the students cover such topics as...

Public land Management
Leadership Skills
Wilderness Ethics
Indoor/Real Rock Climbing
Rock Climbing Ethics
Caving
Hiking
Backpacking
Wilderness First Aid
Navigational Skills
Outdoor Cooking
Equipment Use and Maintenance
Companionship
And so much more

Phase one of the class, is the classroom setting. Here students attend a class every day of semester. During this time, the students cover topics such as land management, team building, first aid, weather, map reading, ethics, and other projects.

Phase two of the class is the field section. Here students "give up" days off and weekends, to go out into the field. These trips included three visits to a rock gym, one visit to a high ropes course, four hiking trips, one rock climbing trip, and one four day backpacking trip. During this time, students apply the concepts that they have learned in the classroom in the field.

This class is a once in a lifetime chance for many students. It exposes them to the outdoors, to working with a team of new people, and much more. Although this class is a lot of work at times, it is a fun and rewarding class that students can't get enough of once they start!