While many students spent Saturday, May 7, enjoying prom day at BrandyWine, a small group of students visited the beautiful sights of Matthiessen State Park.

  The trip was hosted by the travel club, which is led by English teacher Dana Francis and librarian Heather Johnson. Eight students signed up for the trip, excited for a day full of hiking and enjoying nature. Johnson expressed her excitement in being able to share this experience with students saying, “There’s something special about giving students that opportunity, and I’m so grateful we had good weather and were able to go!”

  Matthiessen State Park offers much for hikers to marvel at while trekking through the park’s many trails. Home to cascading waterfalls, lushous foliage, cheerful wildflowers, serene rivers, interesting rock formations, peaceful streams, and open, airy prairie the park is in endless supply of breathtaking beauty. 

  The group was able to hike around four miles in the park exploring some of the Vermillion River area, and get a glimpse of a few of Matthiessen’s many waterfalls. This provided students with the opportunity to see Illinois in its most natural state with senior Emely Garces sharing, “I attended the trip because I love to explore new places in Illinois.”

  The S.H.S. travel club allowed these students to spend an unforgettable day in a place, whose beauty they may have never witnessed without the club’s planning of this trip. With Matthiessen’s sheer beauty engraved in their minds these students are sure to remember this trip for years to come.