Mike Mihalik teaches earth and space science elective courses, including Geology of the National Parks, Meteorology and Oceanography at Emmaus High School. In addition to being a teacher, he is also the head baseball coach, advisor of the National Parks Club and co-advisor to Student Government.

The 2017-18 school year was his 13th year at EHS.

“I love the earth sciences and that pairs together so well with travel and exploring the outdoors,” Mihalik said. “Getting involved in nature is a passion of mine recreationally, but also educationally. I have been to all 50 states and 41 of our country’s 59 national parks, but I also strive to get more students to our national parks for many reasons.”

This past June, a group of 14 students and four adult chaperones traveled to Alaska for 10 days.

It took a little under 10 hours to reach the Anchorage International Airport, leaving from Newark Liberty International Airport, with a layover in Denver, Col.

The main purpose of the trip was to see different parts of the country and take what is taught in the classroom with textbooks and make a connection with the actual sites seen in person.

The group traveled to three of the national parks in Alaska – Denali National Park, Lake Clark National Park and Kenai Fjords National Park.

In Denali National Park, the group did a lot of hiking and also viewed wildlife, including bear, moose, doll sheep, the Alaska state bird: the willow ptarmigan and caribou.

At Lake Clark National Park, the group flew from Homer and had about an hour long flight over to the National Park west of Homer. At the park, the group observed bears for several hours, watching their behavior, There were a large amount of bears to observe.

In Kenai Fjords National Park, the group kayaked 15 miles together. They also had an opportunity to see Exit Glacier and hike up the Harding Icefield.

Driving in between parks, the group made stops at little towns along the way such as Girdwood and Talkeetna to experience the unique Alaskan culture, especially in the town of Talkeetna.

Overall the trip was absolutely incredible!