I write about High Level every time I’m here because it’s awesome up here. I went to bed at 11pm last night and the sun was still up. That same sun (at least I’m led to believe it’s the same sun by “science”) was shining in my open curtains at 4am this morning. It’s so energizing being in this much daylight. I feel like I could get so much accomplished. Doesn’t Superman get his energy from the sun? High Level summers would be awesome for him. Not so much the winter though.

Someone in class asked me a great question today. He basically said, “if trees grow in the summer, and we have the most hours of sunlight, shouldn’t the trees in the North photosynthesize the most and grow the fastest?” Very good question my young friend. Actually, the limiting factor to trees growing in Alberta is not a lack of sunlight, it’s a lack of warm soils. Until those soils thaw and the trees are getting water they can’t really photosynthesize and make the sugars they need to grow. So you’re trees actually grow the slowest. Almost stumped me there (Get it? Stumped me? Forestry? Ha!). The students here are smart. They’re always stumping me with good questions (and not the SMRT kind of smart, really intelligent and able to reason things out kind of smart).

I would guess for every class of 20 students I talk to at least 1 of them wants to become a veterinarian. That means 5% of the population wants to be a vet when they’re in high school (this is not a scientific study). In Alberta, there are about 1500 vets which is 0.04%. So that means 99.2% of the people who want to become vets in high school end up with their dreams shattered. Why not go into something different to pursue you love of animals (if vet school doesn’t work of course, DON’T GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAM! You could be the 0.04%!)? Foresters and forest technicians are the ones creating habitat for wild animals. Wildlife biologists do studies to ensure the health of animals. Conservation Officers make sure we’re not illegally harming animals. You can study fish, birds, mammals, entomology (insects), invertebrates… The list goes on and on.

In summary, the kids in High Level are more intelligent than me and I love their town.

BONUS HIGH LEVEL FUN TIMES
There’s a carnival going on that includes rides such as The Zipper and The Scrambler. If you need me tonight, I’ll be spinning in circles on rides… until the sun goes down (never). And speaking of rides, one of the biggest WOODEN roller coasters in the world is in Vancouver. Trees are the coolest.