Moscow schoolchildren set off on the Great Arctic Expedition

Fourteen high school and college students from the capital went on the Great Arctic Expedition. The kids will hike along the northern coast of the Taymyr Peninsula and will also conduct scientific research at the hydrometeorological station named after Yevgeny Fyodorov. It was announced by Anastasia Rakova, Deputy Moscow Mayor for Social Development. 

“About 40,000 schoolchildren from the capital took part in different events on the Arctic theme since 2018. Fourteen most hardy and courageous kids went on the fourth Great Arctic Expedition this year. In the next two weeks, they will make a ski crossing in two groups from Bolshoi Island to Chelyuskin Cape along the Taymyr Peninsula and study the nature and ecology of the Arctic with polar scientists at the hydrometeorological station named after Yevgeny Fyodorov. The kids went through a rigorous selection before going on the trip to the North: they learned the theory well and completed training camps in conditions close to the Arctic. Any schoolchild in the capital has the opportunity to go on the trip, the main thing is to prove their ability to work for result, dedication, teamwork and mutual assistance,” Anastasia Rakova emphasized.

The expedition is led by the famous traveler Matvei Shparo, holder of the Order of Courage, director of the Travel Laboratory of the Department of Education and Science. The kids are divided into two groups of seven persons. The Discoverers squad is for high school students with tourism experience, the Arctic Science squad is for those who are passionate about natural sciences, engineering or environmental journalism.

The Discoverers ski team led by Matvei Shparo will hike along the northern coast of the Taymyr Peninsula from Shcherbinin Cape to the united hydrometeorological station named after Yevgeny Fyodorov at Chelyuskin Cape. The kids were trained in conditions close to the Arctic. They skied 100 kilometers under the guidance of instructors in Karelia during their training camps.

Members of the Arctic Science team will work directly at the station and test scientific hypotheses, help polar explorers and meteorologists, for example, take Laptev Sea water samples, measure its acidity and look for microplastic particles in it. They were preparing for an expedition in Moscow region. The kids completed tasks working with precision tools, carried out natural science observations and demonstrated journalistic skills.

The participants of the expedition are members of the Russian Movement of Children and Youth “Movement of the First”. All of them wrote their Arctic dictation successfully.

The first Great Arctic Expedition to include Moscow schoolchildren took place in 2018. Within the framework of the project, polar explorers' lessons are held in the city’s schools and conducted, among others, by children who have visited the North Pole. The Arctic Week is held annually in the educational organizations of the capital as well, which includes quizzes on Arctic topics, drawing and video contests, city quests, cross-country skiing and orienteering competitions. More than 15,000 schoolchildren and college students took part in the events this academic year.