Summer in the Shade

Summer in the Shade

Who gets the opportunity of a lifetime to see the famous Wall Drug of South Dakota, three museums, the Corn Palace, a zoo, an alien restaurant, the prop town that witnessed the filming of Dances With Wolves, and an actual dinosaur dig site, all in five days? High school students who are interested in Westminster's Summer in the Shade program, that's who!

Last summer, four lucky 15- to 18-year-olds from Missouri and Illinois joined forces with the College's Dinosaur Discovery Team to unearth additional fossilized remains of Shady, the 66 million-year-old Triceratops discovered in 2019 at the Grand River National Grassland near Shade Hill, South Dakota. The dinosaur digs are now part of a growing summer college pilgrimage to the dry, grassy Badlands near Shade Hill, South Dakota – the origin of the name "Shady." The annual excursions take place through an agreement between Westminster's Dr. David Schmidt, Associate Professor of Biology and Environmental Science, and the National Forest Service.

This year, about 65 individuals associated with the College arrived at the site, eager to find more bones from Shady the Triceratops' body, which now is an impressive collection totaling exactly 83 fossils — many of which are currently in the process of being cataloged and restored.

Assisting with the process are students enrolled in the College's unique Museum Studies Program under the direction of Dr. Nichol Allen, Assistant Professor of Museum Studies and History. Allen also coordinates the College's annual Summer in the Shade Program.

"The kids actually did excavate fossils on the dig, using trowels and brushes and documenting their finds through detailed notes and photographs, sometimes creating sketches," she explains.

The former Marine, who hasn't lost her military stamina, adds that she taught the geologists in training to map, survey, and record the location of each fossil as well as apply protective plaster jackets to large fossils for safe transportation. Then Allen gives a rundown of the high schoolers' other activities: fishing, swimming, hiking, outdoor movie watching, barbequing, sketching, painting, visiting virtually all area tourist sites, and sleeping (finally) in cabins near the dig site.

Summing up the experience, Allen says, "We want to be sure everyone has a good time and enough to do. I definitely think we accomplished all of that and more!"

Shady's Adventures

The Hip Bone's Connected to the Back Bone …

Second graders from Bush Elementary School in Fulton, Missouri, skeleton danced into Kent and Judith Mueller Student Center on Sept. 25, 2024, to learn about archeology, museums, and, of course, dinosaur bones under the direction of Dr. David Schmidt, Associate Professor of Biology and Environmental Science, and Dr. Nichol Allen, Assistant Professor of Museum Studies and History.

The grade schoolers giggled as Allen introduced the morning's activities with a Jurassic Park joke. From there, the young explorers and their teachers charged from station to station, where Westminster students directed discussions and answered questions: Is that dinosaur poop? Can I touch it? Are you an archeologist? Can dinosaurs still bite?

With their complex questions expertly answered, the future paleontologists left the hands-on experience with an appreciation of history, archaeology, museums, and college in general — perhaps with visions of becoming members of Westminster's Class of 2039.

David and the Dinosaur

Looking for a delightful picture book that will capture a child's attention while teaching science at the same time? We may be a little biased, but we think everyone will appreciate a soon-to-be bestseller penned by the Indiana Jones of Westminster College, Dr. David Schmidt, and the College's Guardian of Artifacts, Dr. Nichol Allen of the Museum Studies Program. We hear they could be composing a Jurassic Park meets A Night at the Museum masterpiece.

Shady Goes to School

The University of California-Berkley recently developed a virtual paleontology learning experience for third graders throughout the United States that features Shady's adventures — from the Mesozoic Era to the Triceratops' recent Excavation Era.

Please Stand Up

Won't the real Shady donors please stand up … and help us care for Westminster's very own Triceratops? To assist with expenses associated with Shady's upkeep and eventual reconstruction for display, visit our Giving Page at WCMO.edu/giving. Just select "Give to Westminster Online," and under Fund, choose "Other." Be sure to drop "Shady" or "Dinosaur" in the Special Instructions box!