Members of the Science Club once again jumped into canoes and kayaks on Friday, Sept. 25 to float seven miles down the Niangua River.

  Senior Thane Henderson thought this was the best year due to the fact that they had lots of people go compared to previous years. In all, about 27 students attended.

  Lori Allen, one of the chaperones, thought this was a good, successful trip.

   “This was one of the largest number of kids I’ve gone with,” Allen said.

  The Niangua is the closest river that the club floats, but is not always the one chosen. In past years, the club has gone to the Current River and the Jackson River. Others have been used as well.

   Science club sponsor David See has been taking students on float trips for a long time.

  “I’ve done this forever,” See said. “I did this before I started teaching at Warsaw.”

  See continued taking the Science club members at Warsaw to help them get up and be active.    

  “It’s a good way to introduce the kids to the outdoors,” See said.  

   Chaperones included Brian Hrabe, Lori Allen, Kimberly Pate, Mark Pate, and Amber Franklin.

  One of the most interesting things that happened, according to senior Michael Kephart, was watching sophomore King Archer “dive to the depths of the underworld” and bring back lost things, such as four pairs of old sunglasses covered in moss. The water was clear and Kephart could see Archer at the bottom, swimming under for a long time before resurfacing.

  Sophomore Eric Smith tried to follow suit, but it was hard because the water was freezing.

  “The water was pretty cold,” Archer said. “Put ice in water and jump in it, that’s how it felt. Like Titanic water.”

  Another interesting aspect of the trip occurred when sophomores Lee Newell and Eric Smith climbed up a high ledge that hung over about five feet of water.They planned on jumping in while everyone else was yelling “You won’t!” According to Smith, they did not go through with the plan.

  Senior Kyle Nevius said that hearing chaperone Brian Hrabe and Austin McCall screaming “t-bone steak” across the river is a memory that will stay with him forever.

  But the highlight of the trip for Nevius was running at a full sprint to put junior Jonathan Kirmse into a “coffin” in the water. Nevius explained that to put someone in a “coffin” is to knock them back into the water where they are in a position as if they are in a coffin.

   Something Nevius learned from the trip was to not take sunflower seeds from people because they might end up being dill pickle flavored.

   All in all, the science club members had a great time on the float trip and shared some experiences and laughs. Even the chaperones had a great time.

  “Mr. Hrabe was an excellent canoe partner,” See said. “But we hit every rock and stump and it was all his fault.”