Union High School Students Learn To Dig For Archaeology Day

Union High School students are digging into a new skill: archaeology.

During Monday's inaugural "Archaeology Day," social studies students got the chance to try their hands at an excavation.

The school is taking knowledge out of the textbook and into real-life experiences.

"This is us coming together to bring kids out to show them what exactly you can do with a degree in social studies," said Melissa Matthews, a history teacher at Union and co-chair of Rho Kappa, a National Honor Society for Social Studies.

She said the school partnered with Afendras Archaeology and the Oklahoma Anthropological Society.

Students are practicing with archaeology tools, learning how to dig and search for artifacts while practicing proper excavation techniques.

Professionals helped students learn how to sift and how to catalog their findings.

"Recently we had the excavation of the Greenwood Cemetery, so that is kind of a real-world application for archaeology. This is sort of helping students understand that you know, look at what's happening here in Tulsa," Matthews said.

High school senior Beth Myer enjoyed the learning experience.

"It's really cool to actually get your hands on it and to actually get to see these things and do it for yourself, rather than just having someone tell you," Myer said.

Matthews said she hopes the experience opens students' eyes to possible new career paths, and hopes the event continues for years to come.