Walk through the meadow on any given weekday, and you are likely to spot IPS students on the run. Often they're chasing frisbees. Other times they're chasing co-ordinates on a map. The latter activity is called orienteering, and the students in Christian McInnis's grade nine Design and Technology class are hoping to build a course so that anyone can participate.
McInnis says orienteering teaches the kids to use a compass, read a map and follow a bearing. All of these activities fit in well with the IPS focus on sailing and navigation. Student Hamish Brian describes orienteering as, "running 2.0. Instead of just running from point A to point B, you're running to multiple points with a purpose. You can work in groups, and race other groups."
IPS kids have been practicing orienteering since last spring as part of their phys-ed classes, which McInnis also teaches.
"So far, I've been setting up these courses using little flags which I have to take down because they'd get destroyed in the weather," he says.
A permanent orienteering course in the meadow and around Killarney Lake would involve setting up a number of wooden posts with quick-response bar-codes. A smartphone scan would take curious passers-by to a website (also set up by the grade nines) explaining the orienteering course, as well as local flora and fauna.
"This is very cross-curricular," says McInnis. "When we first started talking about the idea, the science teachers got excited about what could be added in terms of learning the local ecology."
McInnis stresses that the idea is very focused on being "low-impact" so as not to disturb all the other ways people use and enjoy the Crippen Park meadow.
The class will be meeting with Metro Vancouver asking for the approval of this project. They're also asking for input and ideas from all Bowen residents.
To do so, contact the class at: [email protected]
