Kamloops elementary students celebrate city’s rivers

KAMLOOPS – Students from Bert Edwards Science and Technology School took part in a 12th-annual tradition on Thursday (Sept. 28).

Every year, the school gathers on the banks of the North Thompson River to get hands-on experience, learning both the scientific and cultural significance of the river.

Presenters from across the community, including scientists and Indigenous educators, were there to teach the students the importance of the river.

“What I noticed is just a sort of excitement for learning and also using the actual tools that they use in the industry, I think that’s really exciting for them,” Justin Hummel, a teacher Bert Edwards told CFJC News.

The annual event takes learning to the beach and celebrates the body of water Kamloops is so well known for.

“It’s important because it’s basically a global issue that’s only getting worse and worse – contamination in the rivers, water bodies and our oceans, as well,” New Gold senior hydrogeologist Mike McBride explained. “It’s also just important to get people engaged in the sciences and get them to start thinking about it and start to develop those skills at a young age.”

With presenters from all over the community, students learned everything about river use, from firefighting to erosion.

They even took some test samples of the river.

“In the classroom, we’ll discuss a lot of the aspects of a river, but it’s always nice to give kids a chance to actually be in the environment of the river,” Hummel said. “I think that sort of learning sticks with them longer. I think kids who have done this day in the past – when I see them again, will remember this day and remember the things they learned, maybe because they are actually interacting.”