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DEH CHO - Students at Charles Tetcho School in Trout Lake jumped at the chance of sleeping outside in snow forts.

With the help of Greg Reardon, a program support and outdoor education teacher from Deh Gah School, students piled snow into two cone-shaped mounds and let them set overnight.

Five students in Trout Lake stand on top of the quinzee they built as part of a week-long outdoor education program. Students include, from left, Katrina Deneron, Branden Jumbo, Faith Deneron, Deanna Jumbo and Donovan Punch. - photo courtesy of Elizabeth von Rhedey

The next day the students hollowed out the mounds and prepared for their sleepout.

Six students snuggled into their sleeping bags on the evening of March 18 and didn't emerge until 8:30 a.m. the next morning.

"They loved it," said Elizabeth von Rhedey, the teacher in Trout Lake.

The popular activity was just one in a series of week-long outdoor education events offered to the students thanks to a program developed in Fort Providence.

Deh Gah School began running the Student Success Initiative Program this year.

The program, which is being offered on a regional level in the Deh Cho, was designed to offer a series of outdoor education camps to built capacity in the region, said Lois Philipp, the school's principal.

The program is also bringing together students from around the region in an outdoor experiential learning environment, Philipp said.

So far more than six camps have been held in Fort Providence and more are planned for the rest of the school year.

Greg Reardon, who is leading the program, also spent a week working with students in Trout Lake from March 16 to 20 and in Jean Marie River from March 29 to April 3.

Deh Gah decided to offer the program because outdoor education is an area with room for development, Philipp said.

In Trout Lake students have given the program two thumbs up.

"The kids loved it and engaged 100 per cent," said von Rhedey.

In addition to building quinzee the students learned how to light one match fires, went cross country skiing and snowshoeing, did a nighttime walk to look at constellations and set rabbit snares.

The students even enjoyed the activities that sounded a bit suspicious at the onset like eating military rations one day for lunch.

"It went over so amazing," von Rhedey said.

Although they chose not to stay out for the whole night in their quinzee, students at the Louie Norwegian School in Jean Marie River also responded positively to the program.

"It was really successful," said Terry Davidson, the school's principal."We were busy morning to night every day."

In Jean Marie River the student's favourite activity was the treasure hunt. Reardon taught the students how to use a compass and a map.

Students were then given a map that sent them around the community looking for 11 bits of paper with letters written on them. Put together in order the letters spelled the message "in the teepee," said Alisha Grossetete, 12.

Two further messages sent them to their quinzee where they dug out a treasure chest containing Kinder Surprises.

"It was really fun," Grossetete said.

The program was so successful that Davidson and Reardon are planning summer camping and canoeing trips for the students.