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Students also had the opportunity to learn about different types of trees from Department of Natural Resources officials. (Courtesy photo)
Students also had the opportunity to learn about different types of trees from Department of Natural Resources officials. (Courtesy photo)
Students also had the opportunity to learn about different types of trees from Department of Natural Resources officials. (Courtesy photo)
Students also had the opportunity to learn about different types of trees from Department of Natural Resources officials. (Courtesy photo)
MANISTEE — Mention the words "Winter White Out" to anyone who attended Kennedy Elementary School in the past decade and the odds are good it will bring a pleasant smile to their face.
For the past 14 years the Winter White Out experience has been taking place at the school as a character and life skills building exercise. For most of those students, it meant an overnight trip to the Center Lake Bible Camp just south of Cadillac in Tustin where they engaged in two days of outdoor activities like cross country skiing, snowshoeing, tubing, fire building, teamwork and winter survival skills.
Teacher Matt Phillips has been one of the many driving forces behind Winter White Out, but this year he opted to do things a little different.
"We had 14 great years of traveling to Center Lake Bible Camp, this year redesigned our Winter White Out adventure to bring things closer to home," said Phillips.
The new closer-to-home concept meant taking advantage of all the good opportunities located around the Manistee Middle High School (MMHS) building and the Big M Ski Area. With plenty of open terrain at the MMHS they were able to still provide the same great experience at a much lesser cost.
"Our new Winter White Out plan went off without a hitch," said Phillips. "Each class spent a day at the Big M Rec Area in the Udell Hills of the Manistee National Forest cross country skiing and snowshoeing, while we did broomball, tubing/sledding and team building at the MMHS campus."
Phillips said they also had the opportunity to enjoy the same outstanding educational experience that they used to get at the Center Lake Bible camp from the Department of Natural Resources.
"Ed Shaw who is the interpreter from the Carl T. Johnson Hunting and Fishing Museum came to give a demonstration to the students," said Phillips.
MAPS Technology director Ken Blakey-Shell led the cross country skiing component along with volunteers from the Manistee Cross Country Ski Council at the Big M.
"I spent two full days leading all groups on snowshoe hikes into the forest east of the Udell Hills," said Blakey-Shell. "Students used dichotomous keys to identify conifers, learned the history (logging/skiing) and geology (glaciers) of the Udell Hills, and learned how to make survival fires."
There also were some tasty treats awaiting the hard working students.
"S'more ingredients magically appeared when each group of four to five students were successful in creating sustainable flames," said Blakey-Shell. "The weather was perfect with fresh snow each day."
Blakey-Shell said what also helped make it possible was a grant.
"We are very grateful to the Minger Family Endowment Fund of the Manistee County Community Foundation, and also the MAPS Fund of the Manistee County Community Foundation," he said. "Generous grants from these funds made it possible to purchase cross country skis, ski boot dryers, and broomball equipment, that were used this year and will be used for years to come! The T.E.S. Filer City Station also provided funding to help purchase additional snowshoes for students to use."
Phillips added that they also received some assistance from older high school students who had gone through the program in the past.
"We are also thankful for the assistance of members of the National Honor Society who helped us with the outdoor events, and to our team building leaders from Portage Lake Bible Camp," he said.
What the students thought about Winter Whiteout
• Jorren Edmonson: "Winter Whiteout was a very fun experience that I will remember all my life. I loved the outdoor activities."
• Maxx Carlson: "Cross country skiing was my favorite, it was fun to go outside and enjoy nature. It’s hard to ski if it’s your first time but you’ll get used to it. It’s really fun and if you weren’t there you missed out."
• Alayna Edmondson: "During Winter White Out one of my favorite parts was cross country skiing, I thought this was fun because I got to ski with my friends and put me up for a challenge. Every time I fell (which was a lot) I would lay there for a minute and see how beautiful it was. Skiing down the hill, laying down, skiing when it was flat, all seeing how beautiful the nature is. It was an awesome experience and hope I can go again."
• Kiedis Underwood: "I liked skiing because if you did not know how to do it but after time again you will learned how to do it. After I got the hang of it I was zooming fast and I liked the hills. Some were not as fun because I fell but I like the trip."
• Colt Outman: "What I liked very much of the experience there was the fire building. I liked this because it’s something that can be helpful. I felt like I needed to know this more than anything else we did. It was fun having marshmallows and warming up."
• Joseph Sian: "I had a great time with snowshoeing, figuring out the different type of trees and making a fire to cook marshmallows (without burning them)."
• Jaramiah Newville: "The walk was long but the fire was amazing I had never made one before. I loved it because I had never made one before it was awesome. Overall, the experience was awesome."
• Max Sharp: "Winter White Out overall, was very fun. Cross country skiing was fun because they let everybody go along at their own pace and have fun. I also liked having a break in between snowshoeing and skiing. We were given hot cocoa, a sandwich, fruit, fruit snacks, and some water. I never got cold all day, weeks before the field trip our teachers were getting us ready for the trip. It would have been a lot harder to ski if we weren’t with instructors to teach us. For the first year the school did this, I thought it was very well planned out, and it was very fun for all of us students."
• Kainen Harris: "The two things I liked most was about Winter White Out was when we went cross country skiing it was fun because when I went down hill I almost fell but I also went really fast. The second thing I like was when we were tubing by the school and one time I went down I hit a bump and I went flying and it was not a soft landing after."
• Avamae Fett: "The part of Winter White Out that I thought was the best was the fire building part of the snowshoeing because we learned how to make a fire in the winter with snow covering the ground, wind blowing, and snow covered sticks and branches. Learning how to build a fire I think is the most important part of this experience because if an emergency happens in the winter and you are out in the woods you would probably like to know how to start a fire so you can stay warm."
• Madeline Dawson: "The part I really liked about Winter White Out was skiing because it was my first time and I like trying things new and the Winter White Out program gave a chance and I’m so glad that I went."
• Braylen Zimmerman: "I enjoyed skiing because you get to hang out with your friends, and most people haven’t skied before so you get to learn something new. Skiing has stuff that can be used in other sports like balance, staying low, and power. The reasons you use these for skiing is to stay low and balance so you don’t fall, and power to move also guide yourself. It’s a great exercise, and family or friend activity."
• Noah Richards: "Winter White Out was the best experience I have had out side skiing was my favorite because I have been skiing before also it’s very very fun and I was able to help people up and do teamwork. Snow showing was also because we got to use a dichotomies keys and we used them to see what kind of tree it was. And we also made a couple of fires and we roster marshmallows then we got on the bus then left but we had a lot of teamwork while we were there. But the day before we had a good experience to we went tubing and played broom-ball it was fun."
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February 25, 2020 at 05:13AM
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Fun in the snow - Manistee News Advocate
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