A group of students from Incline Elementary School ventured out of the classroom and onto the deck of the Sierra Cloud Thursday to explore the place they call home from the lake itself.

"This was only my second time on a boat," said Vanessa Osegueda, one of the 35 students who spent the afternoon cruising Lake Tahoe.

Taking students aboard the Sierra Cloud, a 55-foot charter catamaran owned and operated by Action Water Sports, was also a first for Cpt. David Hampton.

"The kids are great drivers," said Hampton, who let each student have a turn at the wheel during Thursday's ride. "They were all well behaved and it's my pleasure to give these kids the same opportunities I had when I was young."

Kelly Crinion, who is interning at the school while earning an advanced degree in education from the University of Nevada Reno, implored the boat-tour company to give the kids a ride and teach them about the lake.

"The entire crew donated their time to our students, which was amazing," said Stephanie Kane, who is Crinion's internship mentor and the counselor for Incline Elementary School. "We wanted to give some of the kids who might not get the chance to enjoy Lake Tahoe a chance to see what this place is really about."

The best part of the day was learning about the legend of "Tahoe Tessie" and walking the plank between the trampoline nets, said student Megan Rachlin.

Other students, like Fabian Flores and Gabriel Enriquez, said that driving the boat was "awesome" and they wished they could have stayed out on the lake longer.

For crew-member Richard Antell said an afternoon with the students was a "nice change" from regular charters.

"I really enjoyed the kids' enthusiasm and love for the lake," Antell said. "It's always fun to take kids out because they are excited about everything on the boat. This trip was especially nice because most of these kids wouldn't normally get to ride on a boat like this or even get out on the lake at all."