With the recent formation of the Outdoor Recreation and Mountain Bike Club, the Outdoors Club for short, is looking for students who are willing to go outside and explore nature. 

   The Outdoors Club was established by CTE assistant director Morgan Dean and focuses on getting students outside and enjoying nature, while doing activities such as hiking, biking, canoeing, and kayaking.

   “It was an idea that I had to get students outside and get them participating in sports and outdoor recreation in a way they may not be used to,” Dean said.

   The club was also gifted by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi to get the club underway.  

   “They are a wonderful organization to work with, very interested in health and long-term health of the community,” Dean said. “Without them we would not have gotten to where we are.”

   Along with Dean, history teacher Murray Cowart also has an important role guiding the students and going on their journey with them.

   “Really what we hope to do is be some of the people that take the students out and do some activities,” Cowart said. “We want to get people out into the wilderness, and we want to mountain bike, possibly expand it into kayaking and such.”

   The next step the club wishes to take is to start hiking the trails behind the school, which are currently being made by forestry teacher Keith Davis and his forestry classes. When the trails are finished, they should cover about four miles. 

   The Outdoor Club had their first meeting on Jan. 10 and is still open to students who wish to join.