“Hailey!” I said over the chatter in the classroom. I slid into my seat in science class. “When do you want to work on that booklet?” Our science teacher Mr. Kowalski had assigned us a bunch of work sheets about our visit to the museum, and Hailey was my partner.
Hailey waved her hand lazily. “It’s not due until next week,” she said.
“Yeah, but it’s worth half our mark—,” I began, but Mr. Kowalski’s arrival stopped me.
“Hey kids! Settle down.” Mr. Kowalski raised his voice. “I’ve got someone I want you to meet.”
The room gradually became quiet. Standing near the front of the room was a blue-eyed guy who looked like he should be surfing. He wore a loose white polo shirt and baggy jeans. His dark blond hair hung in shaggy waves just above his shoulders. Some of the girls wore dopey grins as they stared at him.
“This is Mr. Johannsen,” Mr. Kowalski introduced him. “He’s joined the team of paleontologists at the Tyrrell Museum for the next few months. He’s come to Alberta from South Dakota, where he also participated in dinosaur digs. Our school is very lucky to have him here. He will be working with us over the next month. I expect you to make him feel welcome.”
An uncertain silence fell over the class. Mr. Johannsen smiled, showing a row of straight white teeth. “If it’s okay with your teacher, I’d rather you guys call me Joe. Or Mr. Joe, if you feel the need. All right?” He looked at Mr. Kowalski.
“Sure, uh, Joe. No problem,” Mr. Kowalski said.
“Cool.” Mr. Joe nodded. “So, let’s get down to it. I’m here to teach you about digging for old stuff. Like Mr. Kowalski already said, I’ve been on dig sites in the States, and I’ve even been on a few in Japan. I’ve dug up lots of old stuff, but my favorite is looking for dinosaur bones.” His eyes brightened.
“I’m here as part of a scientist-inresidence program. I’m working toward a masters degree in paleontology. One of the things I’ve been looking at is a new fossildating technique that might turn out to be even better than carbon dating.”
Mr. Joe pulled a fragment of bone out of his pocket. “This is one of the challenges scientists face. Can any of you tell how old this fossil is just by looking at it?”
The class shook their heads.
“Of course not. We have to find some way of measuring the molecular composition and comparing it to other fossils. That’s what I’m working on. You guys catch that?”
We shook our heads again.
“That’s okay. I’ll explain it better when we have more time. For now, I can tell you how old this ancient fossil is.” He held it up so everyone could see clearly. “Three weeks.”
“What?” Nick said.
“It’s chicken bone that has been ossifying—that’s chilling out—for about three weeks. I do have some real fossils to show you, but we’ll do that in the next session. We’ve got lots to talk about over the next few weeks, and all of it is awesome. I think you’ll really be pumped.”
“Is this guy for real?” Nick muttered to me out of the corner of his mouth.
I shrugged.
Mr. Kowalski nodded. “Right. Does anyone have questions for Mr. Joe before we go on to the regular lesson?”
Nick raised his hand. “What’s your favorite part about the digs?”
An excited expression crossed Mr. Joe’s face. “The discovery. Man, that rocks! There’s nothing like it. It’s like a treasure hunt for history. When you come across a dinosaur bone or a chunk of pottery from a different age, you’re holding the years in your hand. It’s an amazing feeling.”
“Is it hard to find bones and things?” Robyn asked.
“Sometimes. Actually, lots of times. But there’s kind of a knack to it. Some people just seem to have a feel for it…where stuff is in the soil. Intuition, I guess.”
Hailey snorted. “I think it has more to do with luck. You just have to be in the right place.”
Mr. Joe frowned. “Maybe. But there is some skill involved, you know. There’s a brand-new site in Dinosaur Provincial Park that could be one of the richest sources of dinosaur fossils ever found in Alberta. We think we’re in the right place, but we haven’t found any fossils yet. And we may not get a chance to.”
“Why not?” Robyn demanded.
“Because we haven’t got enough money,” Mr. Joe said bluntly. “The funding that’s given to each museum or university to pursue their research isn’t always enough to go toward new discoveries, especially a major one like this.”
“But if this new site is so important, why can’t the museum get more funding?” Robyn wanted to know.
“Well, we’ve applied for it, but there’s only so much money,” Mr. Joe said. “And the fact is, we don’t really know that the site has tons of dinosaur fossils. We think it does, but we’re only guessing.” Mr. Joe shrugged, then gave us a wry grin. “If someone dug up a really rare fossil, we might be able to prove that the site should be a go.”
“Isn’t there another way to raise funds?” Hailey asked.
“There are private donations.” Joe stretched out his hands in a helpless gesture. “But we can’t count on that. If we don’t get the money within the next three weeks, the dig will have to be shut down.”
“I know.” Hailey nodded. “My mom might have to work somewhere else if the funding doesn’t come through.” Her mouth pressed into a tight line.
Mr. Joe looked interested. “Who’s your mom?”
“Jamie Ross,” Hailey answered.
“Really? Jamie’s your mom? Cool!” Mr. Joe said. “She’s a great lady.”
Robyn’s forehead furrowed in thought. “What about fundraisers? Maybe we could help.”
I repressed a groan. Fundraisers were Robyn’s favorite events. Especially if she organized them.
“Hey, anything that helps the museum is great by me,” Mr. Joe said. “But we’re talking thousands of dollars.”
“Well, if we could raise part of it, and people heard about the dig, that might help get more donations,” Robyn reasoned.
“Sure. Raising awareness is always a good idea,” agreed Mr. Joe. “Do you have any ideas?”
“Of course!” Robyn rubbed her hands together. “I was thinking about a school carnival. You know, where students set up booths for different activities—pie throwing, ring toss, games. Kids could buy tickets to do the activities they want. It could be really fun.”
“I thought you wanted to do a carnival to raise money for an end-of-the-year picnic,” Nick said.
Robyn waved that suggestion away. “Helping the museum is more important. We can have a picnic anytime.”
Some of the kids looked unconvinced, but Hailey brimmed with enthusiasm. “We could invite the media,” she said. “Maybe we could even get in the newspapers. Then people would really know about the new dig site!” Hailey beamed at Robyn. “It’s a great idea.”
Robyn had that determined look on her face that I knew so well. Nick and I exchanged glances of despair as she smiled. “Let’s do it!” Robyn said.