GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Grand Rapids fifth graders are getting a chance to visit Lake Michigan, some of them for the first time.
Between now and May 9, Grand Rapids Public Schools is teaming up with Open Systems Technologies to give all 1,200 of the district's fifth graders an opportunity to see Lake Michigan.
Students from Sibley Elementary School visited the lake at Hoffmaster State Park today. Teachers there estimate that more than one third of their students have never seen Lake Michigan before.
"I think it's an amazing experience," says Mandee Allen, fifth grade teacher at Sibley Elementary. "I love Lake Michigan. It's one of my favorite places to be. So to share that with them is meaningful, and I hope that they're able to take it back to their family and bring them back too."
Students enjoyed playing on the sand dunes, and some even took a quick dip in the cold waters of the big lake.
Teachers say education was the main focus, however, as students learned how the sand dunes were formed and what makes the sand unique on the shores of Lake Michigan.
