class field trip photo

On Friday, May 28th, all of the students from Blesch Intermediate School participated in a field trip to the Menominee Marina to learn about scuba diving from Eddie Bieber.  Popularly known as “Ed the Diver” on Youtube, Mr. Bieber is a local diver who volunteered his time and his expertise with our students. Mr. Bieber not only taught the students about the training and equipment needed in order to scuba dive safely, he also brought with him some of the things he has recovered from the area.  

Students were able to see two wooden heads of hammers that were used for logging.  One was found in the Menominee River and the other was located in the Oconto River. He brought lots of lures and even an iPhone that he had found on previous dives!  He explained to students how he uses a kayak to dive as well as a boogie board with a basket on it to collect the artifacts he has located.  Before the students left, he even dove down into the Menominee Marina so students could see how diving is done in person.  There was lots of excitement while students stood on the deck of the M & M Yacht Club and watched.

Why did students learn about this?  During our final week at Blesch Intermediate School for the 2020-2021 school year, the students had participated in virtual field trips exploring shipwrecks.  In order to better understand how scientists study these underwater sites, all students learned the basics of archaeology and scuba diving.  It was a chilly but interesting experience.  Many thanks to Ms. Nomale Thoney, a sixth grade teacher at Blesch, who connected with Mr. Bieber and arranged for this amazing experience for all of our students.