Students are saying a program run in collaboration between Creighton Community School and the Northern Manitoba Mining Academy (NMMA) really rocks.
Through a university-level geology class at the NMMA, some students had the chance to study the geology of northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba at the academy, learning how to use advanced equipment and discovering more about the region.
The origin of the program came from Creighton Community School teacher Ryan Gray, who reached out to the mining academy to determine if they could help him expand his high school geology class.
“He had the idea of checking in with us. We discussed it and we decided we could do more hands on work,” said Eckart Buhlmann, an educational associate at the NMMA.
“We invited him to the academy and we sat down and threw out some ideas, came up with a timetable for what could work well with the students,” added NMMA operations manager Craig Cowper.
The two schools quickly agreed on ways to expand the course. Now, every Thursday morning a van load of Creighton students heads to the academy for hands-on, in-depth learning.
At times, those teachings have included field trips around the Flin Flon area to study the area’s geological roots.
“It’s like actual field work, like you would [do] in an actual exploration situation, collecting rocks and samples and using some of the equipment and logging everything back here,” said Cowper.
Through that work, students with the program have learned extensively about the geology of their region. Buhlmann said that aspect of the program was important in planning the course curriculum.
“I decided we should have the emphasis on our rocks here, which are mostly volcanic with some limestones,” he said.
“The students put it this way – what they would like to be able to do is go out, pick up some rocks and bring them in and find out what they have, to be able to address rocks meaningfully.”
“I want to be able to go out and just identify a rock by picking it up. That’s part of what we’re doing here, just trying to quiz ourselves on what they are,” said Kiana Stevens, a student currently enrolled in the class.
From the beginning, one of the program’s main goals was to provide field learning and training with specialized equipment that a typical geology class may not deliver. The students are big fans of the approach.
“It’s a lot more in depth and hands on. We can actually use the knowledge more – instead of just hearing it in class, we could actually go out and do it,” said student Christin Straile.
Janessa Berezitzky, one of the Grade 11 students in the program, said she has thought about pursuing geology as a career after high school.
“I wanted to take this class to see what geologists would do, what they would study. I’ve always had an interest in rocks and I wanted to know what to expect,” she said.
“You aren’t just seeing it in an assignment or something. You actually go out, get your own sample or see a sample in front of you and identify it that way.”
“I believe they’re enjoying it. It’s something that’s quite new for them,” said Cowper. “We’re seeing them come out of their shells here, we’re hearing more discussion and certainly I think they’re enjoying some of those field activities. It gets them out of the classroom doing something different.”
