Onaway students complete Ocqueoc River projects

Several months of fieldwork and in-classroom preparation went into the final PowePoint presentations of Onaway Elementary School fifth graders last Friday as a part of the kickoff of ?Ocqueoc Celebration! 2006.?

The 50 fifth graders broke into groups of 12, and adopted unique names such as the Water Twisters and the Redd Salmons. They learned the different aspects of the Ocqueoc Watershed, such as the water cycle, erosion, trees, wildlife, and bugs.

The Ocqueoc Outdoor Center galley building was filled to capacity last Friday morning with students, parents, teachers and staff, who gathered for the grand finale.

What impressed fifth grade teacher Marty Mix the most is the project crossed over so many lines of the curriculum. ?That is what makes this such a cool project,? he said. ?They basically had every aspect of the fifth grade curruculimun involved in one project, which is so beneficial.?

Much of the work the last couple of weeks had gone into coaching the students and incorporating the information into a PowerPoint format.

Immediate past president of the Ocqueoc River Commission, Roy Peterson, said it was impressive to have the Ocqueoc River as the focal point, but also having the students learn about social studies, geology, language, and speech.

?AT ONE time, I had been involved with university work,? said Peterson. ?I have seen some group presentations this morning that were as good as graduate college presentations. The kids have showed an interest, and have shown a depth of knowledge that is very impressive for all concerned.?

Past river commission president Jerry Smith followed along with students in the afternoon as they visited with experts in the field. ?It was a fantastic event. The kids are enthusiastic. The kids put on some super presentations. I did not do that kind of work when I was in college.?

Mix said, ?The teacher that deserves the most credit, absolutely, has to go to Penny James. It is right out of her science curriculum. She did an awesome job of organizing the students into their groups. They were engrossed in their information and asked tons of great questions.?

Fifth grade teacher Penny James spearheaded the initiated, after having the project turned over to her by superintendent Bob Szymoniak.

ALL THREE fifth grade teachers, Mindy Horn, James, and Mix, all received Cardinal pins at Monday?s school board meeting for their efforts.

?I am very impressed with the way the kids behaved themselves, and how they presented themselves,? said James. ?For 10-years-olds, you see a lot more nervousness out of senators and congressman, than you did out of these kids. This is just our first year. We are thinking about how much bigger and better it is going to be next year. It is going to be an annual event for us.?

Peterson would

like to see students from Posen and Rogers City given the opportunity to learn about the Ocqueoc River, much the way Onaway students have.

After members of the Presque Isle County Red Cross served lunch, the afternoon started with a presentation from Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer Richard Stowe.

?What I hope you get out of this, is that you feel fortunate,? the uniformed officer said. ?If you were born and raised here, or you just moved here, at this stage of your life, you are really fortunate to live in a county like Presque Isle where you have a river like the Ocqueoc.?

The second day of the Ocqueoc River Celebration included the clean up of different river sites and lakes.

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