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Helping students develop an appreciation for their local environment has played an important role at Jersey Shore High School for some years. Through the Outdoor Club, students visit local parks and trails every spring to help clean these areas as a way to prep for the busy summer season.
Students also support the school's recycling program. And this past year over 100 high school students participated in the local Greenway Cleanup at the end of April.
In order to further support the local area and student understanding of how important outdoor recreation is for Pennsylvania, teachers James Smith (retired) and Eric Hess in conjunction with the Jersey Shore Education Foundation and retired teacher and education board member Dr. Lou Anne Gasperine applied for the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBS) R3 grant.
For the last two years, Jersey Shore High School was awarded the grant. The focus of the grant is to support the education of students with a concentration in preservation and stewardship of outdoor resources.
During a one-week education camp, participating students were exposed to outdoor recreational activities. Hess instructed students in the proper use and method of kayaking and canoeing. Although it began in the school pool due to weather, it ended with students taking trips to Pine Creek and Antes Creek.
They also learned about environmental sciences while in these local areas by studying stream ecology.
Through activities such as taking and testing water samples, identifying plants and animals and their role in the stream system, students developed a richer understanding of their local environment. Gasperine led this endeavour to share her love of the outdoors. This was a great demonstration of how proper stewardship of our resources can help preserve and grow the local systems.
Instructor James Smith shared his personal passion of fly fishing with students. He taught students how to tie flies. Students also learned what types of materials are suitable for flies and how these materials can attract different fish in the local streams.
Students were then exposed to the area of casting. It took some practice, but students caught on quick. During the five-mile kayak trip at the end of the camp students were then able to use their own flies as they practiced their casting skills.
Jersey Shore High School hopes to continue to support our local area by providing these opportunities to students. When our youth have a better understanding of the outdoors the community is better able to preserve and grow.