After 12 years, the Ecology Program is starting up again. Ecology teacher Christa Shulters is ready to teach the class again, getting a jump into the class on the first day.

“On the first day, the students and I came up with a list of things they wanted to talk about and that was really exciting for me,” Shulters said. “They were coming up with some really neat ideas and some fantastic things that we can study. I didn’t have to make the list, they made the list for us.”

Because there hasn’t been an Ecology class for so long, many of the students didn’t know what to expect.

“This year was pretty neat because they hadn’t had access to ecology in so long, that the kids really didn’t know,” Shulters said. “I think most of the kids there have a real interest in being there.”

One of the main parts of the class is going outside to the pond and observing plants and animals.

“We go outside a lot and get to look at plants on our own, and identify stuff, and I think that’s really cool,” senior Jessica Pierce said. “It’s not like a normal class where you just sit and get lectured to, you actually go outside and look at stuff.”

During the class Shulters creates a different atmosphere full of plants and wildlife for the students enrolled in her ecology class.