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Wednesday, February 25, 2004
Exeter Times Advocate
McGillivray students have winter camping fun
By Scott Nixon
TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF
LAMBTON SHORES —
McGillivray Central
Public School teacher
Drew Robertson mixed
fun with education last
week with his Grade
7/8 class.
Robertson and his 30
students spent two
days winter camping
Feb. 19-20 at the
Pinery Provincial Park.
It may sound like a
brutal time of year to
be camping, but the
McGillivray students
spent the night in the
Pinery's Yurts, eight -
sided tent -like struc-
tures that include
heating, lights, bunks
for six, a table and
chairs.
Robertson, who has
taken his students on
similar camping trips
before during the win-
ter and summer, said
the trip has several
purposes. Among them
is the spirit of co-oper-
ation students learn by
cooking, planning
meals and cleaning
together.
Survival skills were
also taught — students
learned how to light
small fires and cook on
tin cans. A presenta-
tion from Pinery staff
taught them about the
survival instincts of
animals in the winter.
The students also got
lots of exercising done
— Robertson estimates
they did about 8 km of
snowshoeing to the
shoreline to see the ice
build-up and sand
dunes.
Of course, there was
also lots of fun — at
night a campfire was
built and the students
sang songs and acted
out skits. Opinions
varied among the stu-
dents over exactly how
much sleeping was
done.
The trip wrapped up
with snow sculptures.
Robertson also tried
to get an environmen-
tal message across to
his students as well.
"I use the phrase
'take nothing but pic-
tures and leave noth-
ing but footprints,— he
said.
Luck was on the side
of the McGillivray
class as forecasts of a
freezing rain storm
proved unfounded and
sunshine was the
order of most of the
trip.
"We've been awfully
lucky," Robertson said.
"The weather's been
beautiful."
Student Justin
Nethercott said one of
the things he learned
on the trip is how diffi-
cult it can be making a
small fire. He cited
throwing snowballs as
his favourite part of
the trip.
Billie Ritchie said he
enjoyed the snowshoe-
ing, survival cooking
and staying in the
Yurts, which he said
were comfortable.
"I had an excellent
time," said Ritchie's
classmate Scott
McEvoy, who said he
enjoyed seeing how
the dunes and frozen
waves form along the
shoreline.
McGillivray Central Public School Grade 7/8 students wrapped up their two-day
camping trip to the Pinery Provincial Park last week with some snow sculpture
building. Here, with their dragon are, in front from left, Erin Cormack and Tessa
Michielsen and in back,Alana LaGrave, CaraVan Massenhoven, Shelley
Vandenbogaard, Elizabeth Whiting and Jenny Corby. (photos/Scott Nixon)
Starting to build a snow turtle sculpture, from left, are McGillivray students
Stewart Irvine, Daryn Mawson and Matt Koricina.
Justin Nethercott, Scott McEvoy and Billie Ritchie work on a snow sculpture last
week during their class camping trip to the Pinery Provincial Park.
Kub Kar Rally
The Area Kub Kar
Rally will be held
March 6 at South
Huron District High
School. Registration is
at 8 a.m., with the
first race at I0 a.m.
About 200 Kub Kars
are expected to race
and everyone is wel-
come to attend. At
right, Jim Brintnell
oversees the start of a
1st Exeter Cub test
run. Left, Cubs show
off their kars. For
more information on
the Kub Kar Rally, call
Bob Gehan at 235-
28 I I . (photo/submitted)