It’s been a busy month of May for Elkford Secondary School PE students as they took on stewardship projects that also helped them build physical conditioning.
Students of Mr. Gulyas’ and Ms. Whitson’s Grade 7 classes worked with the Elkford Trail Alliance to help build and maintain trails. They hiked up the TransCanada trail and did the tough physical work to carve out a clean trail. The students used hand saws, pick axes, stampers and shovels. The ETA provided a lunch for the volunteer students after the work was done.
Next up was a visit to the Elkford Fire Hall. Fire Department members put the students through the fire fighting physical fitness test. The students also had some fire extinguisher training and had a tour of the training structure the fire fighters use to train live fire scenarios.
They also watched Teck’s Provincial Mine Rescue team practice a first responder scenario. Elkford Ambulance service was also there for equipment demonstrations. All the emergency services people discussed the fitness level the physical demands of the job requires.
“It was truly a pleasure to see so many young people giving back to their community and experiencing some of the physical demands that keep their community safe,” said Mr. Gulyas.”The intention of this stewardship and experiential learning segment of the PE programming was to physically challenge students as well as teach them what it is to give back to their community. To show students that trails do not “just exist,” fires are not “just put out,” but are built and kept secure by strong, passionate, and committed volunteers. Giving back and seeing what is required to keep a community safe will optimistically give students a deeper intrinsic connection and respect for their community.
The teachers and students thank all the emergency service personnel who shared their knowledge as well as local agencies who provide support for transportation costs, fees and incidentals.
