More than 100 Midway Middle School students visited Skidaway Island State Park on Dec. 19 for the second nine-weeks accelerated-reader party in celebration of reaching individual reading goals.

Students were invited based on point goals and maintaining an 85 percent average when taking reading practice quizzes. During the trip, which included 105 students and five chaperones, students visited the island’s interpretive center, where they viewed a ground sloth skeleton dated as millions of years old, as well as stuffed birds and animals native to the island.

Students also learned some local Skidaway Island history, and some were able to pet a snake, a baby alligator and a terrapin named Pierre.

Park rangers gave students a tour of the marsh area where the footprints of raccoons and deer were visible in the mud. The guides explained the different flora and fauna to be found in the area during a short hike through the palm, pine and live oak-tree woods. Students were invited to try glasswort or sea pickles, a marsh plant eaten by native Georgians. After the tours, the students ate lunch in the wooded picnic area and took advantage of a nearby playground.

For more pictures, go to www.mmmsmediacenter.blogspot.com.