Ducks in a row: Kettle Falls second grade pitch in with Ducks Unlimited

By Liv Stecker

 Everything is under a-quack in the second grade at Kettle Falls Elementary School. Students have ducked into a big project, and it’s ruffling feathers in major fowl circles! Under the guidance of second grade teachers Lari Kay Smith, Liz Braden and Emily Cooper, students have been fully submerged in learning about ducks this year as part of their science curriculum. “Our program is called an expedition.” explains Lari Kay, “and our expedition's guiding question is: What does it take for a wood duck to survive in the Colville River ecosystem?” And the kids have all dived in head-first.

 This year is the 5th year that Kettle Falls second graders have hatched a project to play into the local Ducks Unlimited annual banquet. The idea began when local representative Jamie Baskin, a long time teacher, realized how well the second grade expeditions would tie into the conservation work that Ducks Unlimited has been undertaking for years.

 In addition to undertaking environmental projects cleaning wooden duck houses that high school students constructed the first year of the program, they have learned every stage of the life cycle of a wood duck, even committing the process to song with the help of music teacher, Mrs. Olson. In “crew club”, the music and art program that the second graders participate in twice a week, they helped to write the song and are practicing it for performance at the Ducks Unlimited banquet which took place at the Ag-trade center in Colville on April 22.

 In addition to performing  their original musical piece, the students provided artfully crafted drawings in the form of placemats for the banquet, each depicting a specific duck and describing either physical or behavioral characteristics of the wood duck. One of the wooden duck habitats crafted by students was donated and auctioned off at the banquet.

 The event on April 22 was a great success. Along with the student’s song and presentations about wood ducks, there was a raffle and several games and great prizes donated by local businesses and individuals.

 Baskin says that the program and projects that the students are working on has grabbed the attention of Ducks Unlimited organizers on a larger regional level, who have requested any left over placemats for the regional banquet which will be held in Spokane this year.

 Next year the local chapter of Ducks Unlimited will host the annual banquet fundraiser on April 21st with the help of local students and individuals interested in wetlands conservations. For more information, contact Jamie Baskin at 509-685-2256 or email: jlbconsulting20@yahoo.com. You can visit the Ducks unlimited website at ducksunlimited.org.