Most of the major classes have an annual project or event. Spanish has their fiestas, debate their competitions, band and choir their performances. For students in field biology, their project is not so much a celebration of practice as a celebration of hunting. Not deer hunting, or even bird hunting, it is bug hunting.

“Students must identify specimens from the nine most common insect orders out of the 32 that there are,” said field biology teacher Lou Snyder, “They must become familiar with them, tag and identify them correctly. This also serves as preparation for the lab practical test, where they will be given some of the insects and they have to identify them.”

Junior Kennedy Van Trump believes that field biology is an interesting way to enjoy the outdoors.

“I get to go outside and have some fun with my friends,” said Van Trump, “It’s nice to be able to just get out of the classroom.”

Senior Addie Schwartzman thinks that the project has had a valuable niche in her learning.

“I kind of feel like Hermione Granger, knowing all of the material for class and getting to learn even more,” said Schwartzman.

Field biology teacher Daniel Strang listed the orders that are necessary to catch for the project as: hymenoptera (wasps, bees, and ants); odonata (dragonflies); diptera (flies); lepidoptera (moths and butterflies); orthoptera (grasshoppers, crickets, and locusts); hemiptera (cicadas, aphids, leafhoppers, and shield bugs); neuroptera (lacewings, mantidflies, and antlions); and coleoptera (beetles).

Snyder says that having students go out into the environment to collect bugs is much more valuable than powerpoint presentations.

“This project gets students outside, and shows them what field work is like,” said Snyder, “It is much better than showing them a powerpoint or other pictures. It gives them the opportunity to go out and collect and identify them in real life, which is much more effective.”

Field biology provides an opportunity for students to go out and enjoy nature, but at the same time get to learn about the bugs that inhabit it. The project is due Oct. 27, and students must have caught and categorized 63 bugs by order.