On a chilly end of January morning, MESA ventured on onto the ice of Lovewell Pond with lots to learn from the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Our students were given a lesson on ice fishing as well as the pond itself.

Emily MacCabe and her husband Chris were incredible with the MESA students. Giving them guidance when needed and answering any and all questions, the students learned plenty and it showed. By day's end, we nabbed a healthy eight fish. The second a flag went up, the entire program raced across the ice to see the results.

We were also blessed to have plenty of visitors. Parents were plenty (Mr. Crowe was an ironman), as well as younger siblings. We also had Fred Westerberg and Michelle Broyer of the Saco River Recreational Council, Neil Wykes of the Game Warden Service, and Chris Krug of Hardwater Kiting.

The students were awesome. Many had never been ice fishing before and ended up leaving were hooked. MESA looks forward to going fishing again with Emily, Michelle, and Fred in the spring. Many thanks to Emily and Chris McCabe. Middle school students can be some of the most unpredictable "wildlife" you can ever encounter. You folks had our pack of students glued to your every word.