Update: MAHS Golf tournament to benefit STEM study abroad trip cancelled

By Alexis Edwards

Update: This proposed golf tournament has had to be cancelled due to lack of participation.

Students will study sustainable living practices in other countries

On Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018, a charity golf tournament will be held at Bear Creek. The teatime will begin at 9 a.m. The game will be amfour-man scramble featuring 18 holes. There will be a hole in one competition as well. The proceeds will be going towards Monroe Area High School’s study abroad trip.

This trip, in particular, is providing students the opportunity to get first-hand knowledge on sustainable living practices in other countries. Sustainable living describes individuals partaking in lifestyles that minimize their use of the earth’s resources. This preserves these resources for future generations. Participating students can use the knowledge they obtain in their own lives and communities. One of the organizers of this golf tournament, Haley Nagle, had her own opportunity to study abroad. Her trip shaped her perception of the world around her.

“I had the opportunity to study abroad my freshman year of college at the University of Georgia. I was able to go to Costa Rica for Tropical Ecology for a month. This was the first time that I had been this far from home, in a place I had never been, with people I had never met before. This was the first time I could get totally out of my comfort zone to experience learning by being thrown into the deep end. I met friends that I still have all these years later, and discovered who I wanted to be as a person,” Nagle said. “I wanted to learn how other people live and experience their environment (tropical ecology course), and it was the moment that I realized how similar and how vastly different people live their lives and view the environment. This trip sparked a sense of wonder and wanderlust in me, that I still have to this day. Study abroad was what motivated me to be a teacher, teaching outside the confines of the traditional school walls.”

The study abroad trip is based around STEM education. STEM encompasses science, technology, engineering, and math. STEM provides opportunities for students to learn how they can apply these subjects in real situations. Specifically, it provides students with the necessary knowledge and skills to pursue a career in the STEM field. STEM education holds a special place in Nagle’s heart.

“STEM Education is also a passion of mine because it is at the forefront of the world we live in today. So many advancements that can better the lives of humans and also preserving the environment around us are being made through the STEM field,” she said. “Through combining my two passions, education through travel experience and STEM, this trip is giving students of small town Monroe to experience how big the world truly is.”

Photo credit: Sharon Swanepoel

The cost to enter the tournament is $100 per person or $400 per team. Each player will receive a golf cart rental, a complimentary lunch, and a gift bag. Two mulligans will be available for players to purchase at registration for $10. There will also be the opportunity for players to win additional prizes.

In addition to the main festivities, there will be a concessions cart available while the players play. Spectators will have the chance to buy a snack during the tournament. Raffle tickets will be sold for the chance to win some prizes. There will be giveaways as well. This event will have something fun for everyone!

Alexis Edwards, 15, Your Local News Journalism Explorer, Monroe Area High School. Contributed photo

Alexis Edwards is a Journalism Explorer with Your Local News. She is a sophomore at Monroe Area High School.

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