Photo courtesy of Expeditions in Education Dacia Jones, chief education officer for Expeditions in Education, talks to a group of students during one of the organization’s stops on its Crossing America campaign. Jones will visit North School Elementary on Wednesday.

ELKINS — A group of North Elementary School students have been taking trips to National Parks the past two years — without ever leaving school.

Susan Isner’s fourth-grade class at North School has taken several virtual park visits via Zoom sessions during the past two years, led by Dacia Jones, aka Dr. Drizzle, who heads up the Expeditions in Education’s Crossing America campaign.

Now the class has been chosen as one of 10 schools chosen to receive a personal visit from Jones.

“The kids are excited because they have not met her (Jones) in person,” Isner told The Inter-Mountain. “We have participated with her through Zoom the past couple of years, so they’re familiar with her and enjoy what she does with them virtually. They’re extremely excited to meet her in person.”

Jones will make her way to North School on Wednesday and will be part of a school-wide assembly beginning at 8:15 a.m. After the assembly, Jones will have a session with fourth-grade students, where they will use recyclable materials to address a STEM challenge facing one of the National Park systems.

“This is the first time that she has chosen to come to West Virginia,” Isner said. “She had been throughout the state visiting numerous parks, but this is her first stop at a school.”

The other nine states that Jones will make stops in include North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Maryland, Tennessee, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky.

Isner said her students were prompted to submit a letter of request for Jones’ “Crossing America” visit after the New River Gorge became a part of the National Park System. In September, Isner was notified that North Elementary was chosen to participate.

Jones’ programs are supported through the National Parks Foundation and other grant resources. Jones and her husband travel across the United States to educate students about various National Parks. Expeditions in Education has numerous interactive videos posted on site for students. They are available to watch at www.expeditionsineducation.org.

“Everytime we join a Zoom with her there is a different National Park we focus on,” Isner said. “She is really big about focusing on preservation and usually has a challenge to do, along with the session where students have to think outside the box to solve a problem in the park.

“Most of the time when we are on a Zoom meeting with her she will talk to a park ranger, show a video, and have an activity for the kids to do. The kids are really interested in it because it really takes them to the location she is at.”