Students enjoy outdoors through STEAM activities
Jul. 6—HERMITAGE — Gathered along Lake Julia near the Buhl Park casino, students Ava Bee and Kristalyn Merat took turns casting their lines out, reeling them in and casting them out again.
The students, who will be seniors in the fall at Sharpsville Area High School, said even though they live near Buhl Park and often take walks there, they had tried fishing before they participated in the recent "Into the Great Outdoors" program.
"We're just throwing back whatever we catch, but it's still been pretty fun," Bee said.
The program was a weeklong camp held from June 26 through June 30, featuring a range of different activities that were aimed at educating students while getting them outside for a week, Sharpsville teacher and organizer Jayne Kornbau said.
Some of the activities included painting and arranging a "rock snake," learning to fish, making blue bird boxes and making American flags out of different materials due to the then-upcoming 4th of July holiday.
The students also used the iNaturalist app to complete a scavenger hunt for different plants and wildlife throughout the park, Kornbau said.
"The kids are already used to their phones, so it's easy for them to understand how iNaturalist works but it's getting them active and outdoors," Kornbau said.
The first "Into the Great Outdoors" program was held last year, and was made possible through the support of the United Way of Mercer County.
Fellow organizer and Sharpsville teacher Lisa Oliver-Lapikas said she was "very thankful" for the continued support of United Way's co-director Lori Schaller and her staff, which allowed school officials to bring the program back this year.
Close to 70 students participated in this year's program — mostly Sharpsville students, although Hermitage and Farrell students participated as well, Oliver-Lapikas said.
In the case of Bee and Merat, Bee said she had participated in the program last year and was interested in signing up again this year when the opportunity arose. Bee encouraged her friend Merat to join too, with both students saying they enjoyed the experience.
"If they bring this back again next year, then kids should definitely try it," Merat said of the program.
Local vendors and organizations were incorporated into the program, from restaurants such as La Isla providing lunch to representatives from DJ Green House and the Pennsylvania Game Commission visiting the students.
The Patel family also provided fishing rods for the students to try fishing at Lake Julia, Oliver-Lapikas said.
"Each day had different activities, but on Friday we let the kids finish their projects and do whatever activity they enjoyed the most, and a lot of kids have been fishing," Oliver-Lapikas said.
Something new that was introduced this year was an "escape room," which incorporated different outdoor locations at the Sharpsville Area School District.
By completing different tasks, such as finding the key to a box with a clue inside, the students eventually "escaped" the school and made their way to Buhl Park, Kornbau said.
"We'd have the kids start at one place, like the school entrance and then make their way to the playground, so they got to explore a bit more than if they were in a classroom," Kornbau said.
Like David L. Dye on Facebook or email him at ddye@sharonherald.com.
