MADISON, Wis. -- Students at Malcolm Shabazz City High School are getting an appreciation for nature through a class and a special trip.

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At the high school, students in a class called "Project Green Teen" study some ecology, conservation and take a mix of some organic farming, cooking and fishing -- and then it all comes together with a field trip.

"My expectations were that it was easy," said Shabazz junior Anika Harris.

But Harris said she soon learned that Project Green Teen was anything but easy.

"This is one of the most profound (opportunities) where they get to look into who they are and what they're made of and also what they're willing to try," said Tina Murray, Project Green Teen teacher at Malcolm Shabazz City High School.

Project Green Teen is highlighted by a seven-day trip to the Vernon County Town of Avalanche. During the trip, from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m., the students learn by doing.

They learn what makes the environment tick. They learn how to fly fish -- and about all the flies that feed them. They study farming and cooking and learn where food comes from.

And each night, there's time to reflect..

"All of a sudden these kids that were turned off on education, all of a sudden it's like a switch is flipped and they are now turned on and they ask so many questions that we cannot keep up with them," Murray said.

"It opened my eyes to a lot that's out there, like literally, you can step outside and look at the sky and say, 'Wow, that's a beautiful sky today.'" Harris said.

Later, the students reflect on their project and recap what the trip represented to them. For many, the trip lit a fire inside them, teaching lessons to last a lifetime.

"It's a life-changing experience for most of the students who take this course. It is a semester-long course. The kids have an opportunity to learn how to work in a group," said Martha Vasquez, art instructor at Malcolm Shabazz City High School.

"Working with the team won't be so scary anymore, whether it's in the workplace or with family members, it won't be so stressful," Harris said. "It's amazing. It's indescribable. It's what they did for me, what they did for all of us, what we did for each other was astonishing."

And students, some of whom never set foot in the great outdoors, said they are on the path to become future stewards of the environment..

"I think that if we could get more programs that had this sort of experience for the students, that students wouldn't be so disengaged from education," Murray said.

The students raise their own funds to help pay for the trip, along with the help of local sponsors.

For more information on Project Green Teen, visit this Web site.