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Story provided by Chelsea Isenor, Director of Communications and Board Administration

On Friday, October 11, 2024, Bert Edwards Science and Technology School (BEST) hosted its 13th Annual Rivers Day. Students, teachers, staff, and community partners gathered along the banks of the North Thompson River to learn about the impacts and importance of local rivers.

“Rivers Day is an extremely rewarding and experiential learning experience for students at BEST. The outdoor classroom has so much to offer students, connecting the learning that takes place in the classroom with the real world outside,” shared Curtis Wiebe, Bert Edwards Science and Technology School Vice-Principal.

Each year during BEST’s Rivers Day, students learn about Kamloops’ local rivers and waterways, Indigenous perspectives, industry connections, the science of rivers, and how everyone can impact local rivers in a positive way.

This year, community partners from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, New Gold, Kruger (Kamloops Pulp Mill), Thompson-Nicola Conservation Collaborative and Kamloops Naturalists, Wildsafe BC, and the Kamloops Art Gallery joined District staff, BEST teachers, and McQueen Lake Teacher Wayne Deptuk, to provide student will hands-on learning experiences.

The morning started with a welcome from BEST Principal Edstrom. Classes then took turns visiting stations where they participated in activities and lessons to gain an understanding of the salmon and fish that swim the local waterways, how water is tested by local mines, how paper is made using the resources of the river, watercolor paintings, and more.

One student shared, “This is my eighth year attending Rivers’ Day and it's really fun each year because it changes, it's like a new adventure each time. This year I’ve learned a lot about fish and how First Nations would store their food.”

One of the District's core values, as outlined in the 2022-2027 District Strategic Plan, is Sustainability. Through this value, and events like Rivers Day, students, staff, and the community can learn to embrace their responsibility to contribute to a sustainable environment.

“The importance of this event is to promote the conservation of rivers and build awareness of rivers in our lives,” shared Ms. Duquette, a Grade 2 teacher who has been involved in Rivers Day since the beginning. “The students have hands-on activities and they learn more about the rivers than they would have just sitting in the classroom. When the students come down they are super excited and next year they're going to remember what they did and be even more excited. It's a great day.”