‘Riverwatch’ program coming to district schools next year

Some grade seven students in the district will get chance to learn about the Rainy River now that the Rainy River Watershed “Riverwatch” program will fly.
It got the nod to be included in the curriculum for the 1999-2000 at a special meeting of the Rainy River District School Board here last night.
The program is a co-operative effort between the Rainy River First Nation and several American partners, like the Department of Natural Resources, that’s meant to promote awareness and involvement in the protection and conservation of the Rainy River watershed through the participation of schools and children.
Its purpose is basically twofold, said Jennifer Mercer, a biologist now working at the watershed project. “One, it’s trying to have students realize the importance of monitoring the health of the watershed,” she remarked.
“Two, it’s about education. It’s about getting students involved with the watershed and getting them to learn that science can be fun,” she added.
“I mean, what other job can you do where you can get all muddy and slimy?” she laughed.
Mercer will be instrumental in getting the program off the ground, from making sure all the equipment is available to the students to helping train teachers on the basics of river ecology.
“All expectations of the natural science part of the science and technology curriculum fits in perfectly with ‘Riverwatch,’” noted Tom Fry, curriculum co-ordinator for the local public school board.
“It addresses making the curriculum ‘real’–putting kids in the position of actually getting out there and doing the sampling and so on,” he added.
Results from students’ samples will be used as a long-term record by the watershed program.
The program will be integrated into the grade seven curriculum at Robert Moore and J.W. Walker Schools here, Donald Young School in Emo, and Riverview in Rainy River come September.
These schools were picked due to their proximity to the river.
Rainy River Community College, Rainy River First Nations School, and other Minnesota schools also may get involved.
Teachers will receive three hours of training in early September. The students’ first site visit will be in the third week of that month, with three follow-up visits to fall later that month and in May.
The board’s participation in the program will cost nothing as private groups, as well as Canadian and U.S. federal groups, provide the main financial support of the entire watershed program.
Also last night, the public board passed a balanced budget for the 1999/2000 school year with total expenditures of $29,295,000.
It will overspend in the classroom and special education–and underspend in school operations, board administration, and materials–to compensate for the Ministry of Education’s underfunding of transportation.
In other news, the board’s “Recognition of Excellence” tribute this month went to Lori Elizabeth O’Connor, a Rainy River High School student who had winning essay–entitled “Love in the Political Sense”–in the Royal Commonwealth Society Essay Contest earlier this month.
O’Connor was the co-winner of a special category–the Ramautarsingh Award, where her task was to write an essay which best explained the ideals by which Dr. Ramautarsingh, a Canadian educator, had lived.
“I feel very nervous but it’s really nice. It’s the first time I’ve been publicly recognized,” said O’Connor. “Very few people see my writing–just teachers and a few friends.”
Some of her past accomplishments have included a National Aboriginal Arts Foundation Scholarship, U.S. Customs Service essay contest, Rainy River Record Christmas Story Contest, and Western People Fiction Contest.
O’Connor will be attending St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia this fall, where she plans to take Celtic studies.
In other business, the board:
•announced the June 22 ratification with the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario’s educational support personnel;
•heard a presentation by Ann Anderson, speech pathologist for the board, who recently gave a two-day workshop for district teaching assistants;
•endorsed a proposal for three early dismissal days for the 1999/2000 school calendar to make up for a cutback in professional development days;
•approved of an amendment to the 1999/2000 Atikokan school calendar;
•heard an update from the board’s “Y2K” committee on how the preparations for next year are progressing; and
•approved the following policies for stakeholder consultation–representatives of native students, co-operative education, safe school policy, and codes of behaviour.
The first board meeting of the new school year will be held here Tuesday, Sept. 7.