In September, Uplands Park Teachers Sandra Shahi and Laurie Dyck were wanting to do something to combat the addiction that many of our youth have to technology, coupled with the isolation and disengagement that came with COVID 19. They decided to take students on weekly, Friday hikes with the goal of tackling Mount Benson in June.
They started with hikes close to home and Cougar Ridge trail was one of the favourites. They added in loops to Oliver Woods and incorporated a variety of objectives, including races to the top (students completing the hike in 14 minutes verses the 42 minutes it took in September) and endurance training (averaging between 10-13 km per hike).
The circle slowly expanded and along the way they encountered many interesting things associated with place-based learning, including a skeleton (which the students were convinced was human – although the teachers suspected it was deer), pukers, rolled ankles, and learning how to navigate wild animals and getting lost, just to name a few.
What they did learn for certain is that one can keep going when things get hard, one can accomplish a goal when one sets their mind to it, and one can feed a whisky Jack from the palm of their hand if they remain very still.
The kids were SO proud of themselves! They said, “Mount Benson doesn’t look so big anymore.” Teacher Sandra Shahi said, “Isn’t that the point of education, to make things look manageable and to give kids the opportunity to feel empowered?”
