Cleveland: Montessori High School students make 'dino' discovery

CLEVELAND -- It's the school field trip of a lifetime for most students. This summer, students from the Montessori High School in University Circle went to Mongolia to look for dinosaur bones.


They went with paleontologists from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History to excavate in what's called the "Dragon's Tomb in the Gobi Desert."

"My plan was to find a whole skeleton. We didn't find that but we did find a very nice skull," says Dr. Michael Ryan, of the Cleveland Natural History Museum.


They also found a bone bed that had been untouched by poachers. This area has been nearly destroyed by illegal poachers, who sell dinosaur bones on the black market.

"It was amazing. I always loved dinosaurs and always dreamed of finding them," said 16-year-old Maria van Heeckeren.

Ten students went on the trip. It cost about $7,000 each, so the school helped raise money through fundraisers and donations.

The skull is expected to be shipped to Cleveland by March, and the students will continue to research it with the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.


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