MAGNETAWAN – Students at Magnetawan Central School learned a fishy lesson.
For the third year, Almaguin Fish Improvement Association members Bruce Campbell and George Brooks presented to the primary and junior classes at MCS.
Children in the primary and pre-school grades had fun naming different fish, while the juniors got to find the Magnetawan River on maps and play Go Fish.
“Victoria, do you have a walleye?” asked one student. “Go Fish!” Victoria responded.
“A lot of our students are animal lovers, and it was neat for them to talk about the catch and release and the reproduction and how that happens,” says MCS teacher Tracey Wood, who teaches the Grade 3/4 class.
“The students thought the presentation was awesome and really enjoyed it. It struck up some good conversation.”
The junior classes — Grades 4 to 6 — were scheduled to go down to the Magnetawan fishery following the presentation last Wednesday. Unfortunately, the fish weren’t biting that day, so the field trip was delayed until Friday. Students were able to go inside the hatchery and learn first-hand how it operates.
In class, Campbell and Brooks taught students about the geology of the area, including the origin of the word Almaguin (Algonquin Park combined with Magnetawan River).
Campbell summed up the lesson as helping students understand where Almaguin, Lake Cecebe, and the Magnetawan River are in relation to the larger province and the importance of preservation and ecology.
Brooks believes that presentations like this show the uniqueness of smaller schools, and Wood agrees.
“I’ve taught at eight different schools and I’ve never gotten to experience something like we experienced this week,” she says. “This is very unique for this area to have the opportunity for them to come into the school and educate the kids.”
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Rebecca Zanussi is a reporter with the Almaguin News.
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