Students find 'Guy Time' in Whati
After-school program a hit at Mezi Community School
Kassina Ryder
Northern News Services
Monday, June 15, 2015
WHATI/LAC LA MARTRE
Darius Moosenose now has all the skills he needs to make his own campfires, thanks to a new after-school program at Mezi Community School in Whati.
"It's important if you get cold or you need to cook something," he said.
Moosenose, a Grade 6 student, is one of seven boys who participated in a camping trip as part of a new program called Guy Time, said teacher Mike Danskin.
The Guy Time program began in January after Danskin was trying to find ways to get boys involved in the school's extra-curricular activities. He said while there are many girls in Grades 4 to 7, there are only two boys in each class. That inspired him to start a program just for boys.
"The big difference is there are a lot of Grade 4 to 7 girls and only eight boys," Danskin said.
"So it was very small but it allowed us to do a lot of things."
Every week the boys choose their activities, which have ranged from practicing wrestling techniques and going sledding to learning about catapults and magic tricks.
They also make snacks and smoothies, Danskin said.
Last month, Danksin, another teacher and a father of one of the boys led the group on a trek several kilometres north of Whati for a spring camping trip on a beach on Lac la Martre.
After choosing their camping spot, the boys got to work putting up pop-up tents, which Danskin said was a first for many.
"A lot of them had never slept in a pop-up tent," he said.
"They had slept in canvas tents, but never in a pop-up."
They then spent their time learning how to use pocket knives, setting fish lines in the frozen lake and how to build and maintain campfires.
Learning how to fillet and cook the fish they caught themselves was a particular treat, Danskin said.
Moosenose enjoyed learning about the different fish that lived in the lake, he said.
"I liked seeing what kind of fish we caught," he said.
They also learned how to make the best of adverse conditions when it unexpectedly rained - and then snowed - on the campers.
"It hadn't rained in weeks and there was no rain in the forecast, but then we got four hours of rain and then it snowed overnight," Danskin said. "It was pretty cold."
The boys' attitude toward the weather was
impressive, he added.
"It was cold, it was wet, but no one complained," he said.
"They were just super excited."
When chores were finished, the group practiced handgames on the beach. Danskin said the boys have been learning handgames all year.
"For them to be able to play out in the bush on the land on a beach with the lake as a backdrop is a pretty incredible experience and for me," he said.
"It was a big highlight."
Before leaving their campsite, the boys made sure the area was as clean as they had found it. That meant picking up garbage even if it belonged to another camper, Moosenose said.
"We picked up garbage and left the land clean," he said.
In addition to learning new skills, Guy Time has been giving the boys opportunities to interact with one another outside the classroom, Danskin said.
"It's really beneficial for them," he said.
"It gave them a chance to be together and to bond a little bit more."
The camping trip was especially important not just as a way to forge connections between the boys, but between Danskin and his students as well.
"The camping trip was great," he said. "I think as a teacher, it's so rewarding because it's a totally different setting than where you generally interact with them."
Danskin said at the beginning of the program, he emphasized the importance of making sure people who spend their time helping others feel appreciated. Since the camping trip, he said the lesson is hitting home.
"When we finished the camping trip, every single one of them said thank you," he said. "You could tell it meant something."
