Meadowbrook High School - Sceptre Yearbook (Richmond, VA)

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A trip on the Mattaponi The 27 science students who went on a canoe trip with Mr. Lamar Brandt in late May had more trouble spell- ing the river then paddling up it. The trip started on the Mattaponi River and ended up on the York River with an overnight compout near Lightfoot. The group was led by Mr. Bill Portlock, a field worker for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Most of the stu- dents had been on a canoe trip in the fall and were pret- ty adept at manuvering the boats. It was when everyone got out of the canoes that the problems started. At one point when the group beached their canoes on an island in mid-channel, the is- land turned out to be a man- eater. Every footstep was questionable. Would they sink or would the ground be solid enough to hold their weight. Mr. Portlock used this experience to show why 22 River Trip ducks have webbed feet. Nets were cast to collect specimens. At one point casting turned up a non-poi- sonous water snake which was used to point out the markings that distingush poi- sionous snakes from non- poisonous ones. As the students ap- proached the end of their trip at the York River they were attacked by flies, mos- quitoes and sand fleas that lived in the cord grass along the river. They were de- fenseless to swat the insects away since they had to con- centrate on paddling. Mr. Portlock led them to the open river, a stay which was cut short by a storm. Escaping the storm, the group finished up their trip in a shelter as Portlock re- capped the trip in a journal. The recapping was cut short by a fierce hail storm, a sort of grand finale put on for the students by nature. Surprises The students never knew what the casting net would turn up. Once it yielded a snake. ae Steering Hispassenger seems non- plussed by this student’s method of balancing the canoe.

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RTH nearer monensencotnpnesansssene Big Deal! Thirty dollars was pretty steep for the autographed photo of Cherly Tiegs displayed by joint own- ers Venson Wallin, Mike Andrews and Scott Shapiro. Going, going ... The auctioneer, Earl Binns, urges a bidder not to pass up an item but to bid higher. Determination! Pam Gizzi shows unanswering determination to pur- chase the item she was bidding for. Overcome Tammy Woelfl seemed happy enough to pay forty-five dol- lars for a shirt worn by Kenny Log- gins in concert. Involvement The mood of the whole auction is displayed in Donna Elliot’s manner of bidding and on the looks on the faces around her. Celebrity Auction 21

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Take note Mr. Bill Portlock discusses | Other ways Casting is not the only the vegetation at the edge of the way to catch creatures that live be- Mattaponi as students take notes. neath the surface of the water. Massive Students casting a net are Dry land The group takes a break framed by one of the large old trees from the water to discuss life forms along the rivers edge. in this wirey grass along the shore. River Trip 23