Community
and curriculum will come together when students from the Katarokwi
Aboriginal School and Second Chance program work together to cull
overcrowded trees that will later be used in the construction of two
indigenous teepees for use in the Limestone District School Board
(LDSB).
About
a dozen students will participate in a two-day training program that
will culminate with the cutting of poplar trees in the City of
Kingston-owned Belle Park.
“The
purposes of this activity is threefold,” says LDSB Native Studies
Teacher Steve Hickling. “We aim to educate students about safe operating
practices, to build experiences together, and to connect to the
curriculum and our community.”
Students
begin with a full day of indoor safety training and learning that
includes safe operation of a chainsaw, a certification available within
the Specialist High Skills Major program. Then, on Thursday, Nov. 24,
students will travel to Belle Park to harvest the trees under the
supervision of a certified chainsaw instructor. Students will also strip
the bark from the trees following the cutting which will proceed
rain/snow or shine.
“This
project is a perfect example of experiential learning where we immerse
students in an experience and have them reflect about the experience to
develop new skills and attitudes,” says Michael Mol, LDSB Expanded
Opportunities Consultant. “When there is a clear purpose and outcome
that students can see, they are motivated to learn and that learning
process is rich.”
Working
with staff from the City of Kingston’s Real Estate and Environment
Initiatives Department using a scientific survey of several tree stands,
students identified 25 trees for removal. Students used components of
the math and science curriculum during the survey.
“Our
poplar trees form part of the environmental management program at the
closed Belle Park Landfill,” says Brodie Richmond the City’s
Environmental Projects Manager. “They were planted as live stakes back
in 2008 and now some need to be thinned out in order for the tree
plantations to function properly.”
Some
of the trees will be used for teepee poles. One of the teepees is
already being painted by students from the Katarokwi Aboriginal School
and Second Chance. It will be erected at the Aboriginal School’s new
site at the former Frontenac Public School. A second teepee will be
painted by Native Studies students from across the school district and
will be erected at Gould Lake Outdoor Education Centre. Both teepees are
scheduled to be completed in 2017.
Hickling
says that gaining a certificate in safe chainsaw operation will provide
expanded opportunities for some students. “While some students may
never again operate a chainsaw, it will provide others with the
knowledge and skills to keep themselves safe and may also enhance their
employability regardless of the job.”
For more information, please contact:
Karen Smith, Communications Officer
613-544-6925 x 314 | 613-328-0947 mobile
Jane Douglas, Communications officer
Communications Officer
613-544-6925 x 311 | 613-328-0916 mobile