What was intended to be an innocent trip, ended up being an environmental disaster. During senior’s last day, AP  Environmental teacher Russel Drylie took his students through the woods near the school for tree and leaf identification.

“I mentioned to the students that there is poison ivy out there and that you need to pay attention to what you’re touching,” Drylie said.

Some students feel differently about the amount of warning that was given regarding poison ivy.

“There was no warning that there would be poison ivy,” AP Environmental student JD Woods (’18) said.

“Lots of people were angry with Drylie but I’m not really that worried,” AP Environmental student Alice Marshall (’18) said. “He has a little chart on his wall and he showed us what it looked like, people were just being dumb and running in it,”

Although it may be a simple trip just yards away from the school, when it comes to dealing with nature, everyone should be cautious.

After warning the students and still having some come back with the poison ivy, Drylie sent them to the nurse.

Due to the injuries from the trip, Marshall had to miss one day of school for a doctor’s appointment.

“He said there might be sumac in the woods, I asked him and he said there wasn’t much ivy, he was wrong,” Marshall (’18) said.

Although this incident ended up causing more dilemmas than expected, it will not hold back Drylie from continuing his educating methods.

“I would do this again,” Drylie said. “I spend a lot of time taking students outside, so it’s just a part of being outside. You have to be aware.”