River Ridge Fish and Game donated $3,000 to the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) at the Canora Junior Elementary School (CJES) on June 18.
Kathy Thomas, River Ridge president, said the group sees this as an important investment in the future of Canora and the surrounding area.
“Our community supports us,” said Thomas, “and we believe in trying to make the children of our community better citizens.”
Thomas said the donated funds were raised due to the much-appreciated support of all those who bought tickets for the recent River Ridge Fish & Game gun raffle, which was won by Lindsey Tiechroeb of Yorkton.
Students are eligible to participate in NASP starting in Grade 4. Rod Steciuk, CJES coach, said over 40 Grade 4 students at CJES participated in the program during the past school year. The program appears to have a bright future at CJES, since a number of Grade 3 students have indicated they’re looking forward to being involved in NASP next year.
Steciuk said there are a variety of benefits for students who get involved in the program.
“Teachers who participate in the program as coaches are trained to only use positive language,” he explained. “It creates a more positive relationship between students and teachers. The participants have the opportunity to work hard and improve their skills, which gives them a feeling of accomplishment.
“Research has indicated that NASP improves the self esteem of students. They are happier, school attendance improves, they get along with teachers better and it gives teachers another valuable teaching tool.”
Steciuk said the donation will be used to replace the school’s bows, which have been in use since 2008 when the program started.
