Life On The Mississippi

As the flotilla reaches the net, Jeff shuts off his motor and eases into the knee-high water. Someone from a canoe yells out, "Mr. Morrison, you need some muscle up by you?''

"Yup,'' Jeff Morrison replies. "We need everybody.''

That's all the prompting that's needed. The 27 students from Longfellow Middle School in La Crosse, Wis., ground their canoes in the shallows, jump into the water, and begin...