Journey Middle School Class(2) visits Race Rocks

On Wednesday 2 June 2004, the grade six students of Journey Middle School in Sooke visited the island and were given an explanation of how the island is maintained. They visited the marine science centre student residence and also ventured into the engine room. They were welcomed by students from Pearson College, Emmanuel, Paul and Michelle, who were staying on the Island for 2 weeks doing the Johann Ashuvud project. While there they participated in a live webcast. 

A school visit by Journey middle school students

The Johan Ashuvud Project June 2004
On 1st June 2004, during the Johan Ashuvud project, we had Dr Gitai Yahel and Russel Wyeth explain to the students and faculty from Journey Middle School in Sooke their research at Race Rocks . This was during a live webcast by Emmanuel (PC 30) from Ghana and Paul (PC 30) from Nigeria. Later we showed the students various living organisms in the tank room and gave the students a tour of the island.

Journey Middle School students visit Race Rocks

On 1st June 2004, during the Johan Ashuvud project  we had Dr. Gitai Yahel and Russel Wyeth explain to the students and faculty from Journey Middle School in Sooke their research at Race Rocks . This was during a live webcast by Emmanuel (PC 30) from Ghana and Paul (PC 30) from Nigeria. Later we showed the students various living organisms in the tank room and gave the students a tour of the island. In those years, Pearson College students were part of the Schools Project whereby many schools in the Sooke School District would send their grade seven class on a field trip at the invitation of the Pearson College Diving Service.

Westmont Montessori Class Visits Race Rocks as part of our Schools Project

In June, 2002 the grade six students of Nadine Cruikshank’s class at Westmont Montessori school in Metchosin came out to Race Rocks to participate in a live webcast. Pearson College students Ben, Joe, Kiprop and former student Ryan who were staying at Race Rocks for the Johan Asuvud Race Rocks 2002 Project introduce them to the ecology and the history of Race Rocks. (17 minutes)

Westmont School visit June 2002

 

In June, 2002 the grade six students of Nadine Cruikshank’s class at West-Mont school in Metchosin came out to Race Rocks to participate in a live webcast. Pearson College students Ben,Joe, Kiprop and former student Ryan Murphy introduce them to the ecology and the history of Race Rocks. (17 minutes)

 

The Diving Service Schools Project 1999

Link to our 1997-98 season of the Diving Service Schools Project.

 

 

In the spring term, 1999, the students of the Diving Service took groups of grade 7 students from the Sooke school district on field trips to the Marine Protected Area of Race Rocks Ecological Reserve.

GOALS OF THE DIVING SERVICE SCHOOLS PROGRAM:

  • To introduce students to the role of marine coastal ecosystems in the culture of First Nations people .a) Ceremonial interaction with the ecosystem
    b) Traditional sources of food from rocky intertidal ecosystems.
    c) Ensuring sustainability of resources.
    To enable the students to identify and experience first hand the components of a complete functioning marine ecological system.a) Energy implications
    b) Invertebrate adaptations and escape responses of shellfish.
    (c) The local food web.To enable students to recognize their role in the stewardship of marine ecosystems.a)The “Adopt an Ecosystem” concept.
    b)Oil Spills and our responsibilities
    c)Things we throw into the marine environment.
  • To demonstrate the role of research in protecting ecosytems.(a) We can all do useful ecological baseline studies
    (b) Sustainability of Resources.
    (c) Marine Protected Areas
  • The program we are running consists of the following field lab stations.. click on the photos below for enlargements
  • ​​​
    2:15 pm Station A: The school group arrives at Lester Pearson College. A Pearson College student in the Diving Service meets the class behind the Pool and provides a worksheet on the gray whale skeleton for our first study station.
    (BRING PENCILS) 
    .

    2:45 pm – Life jackets are issued, the students proceed to the docks and by this time the divers are prepared to take the students aboard the boats “Hyaku” and “Second Nature”and depart for Race Rocks.
    Appropriate warm clothing must be worn: (touques, gloves, waterproof boots, warm jackets- it does not matter what you look like. Even on warm days on land, it can be very cold out in the Strait of Juan de Fuca !!)

    3:00 pm station b : Entering the Race Rocks Marine Ecological Reserve, we will view the elephant seals, California and Northern sea lions and harbour seals from the boat. Students will be asked questions about seals and sea lions.

    (
    (The ancestors of Debbie and her son Kyle in this picture were the Eastwoods.–lightkeepers at RR 1891-1919).

    3:15pm – Students arrive at Race Rocks. With the Pearson College students as guides, they will go in three groups, to three more field lab stations.

    Station C : With the divers in the boats and at the dock, they will get an understanding of how Diving may be used as a tool to study underwater life. They will also be able to see some of the facilities of the light station which are necessary to allow humans to be included in this ecosystem
    Station D : In our Science Lab-Workshop at Race Rocks, they will see specimens in the touch tanks and be able to study feeding, locomotion and escape behaviors on the specimens. It would help if students come prepared with a basic knowledge of some of the characteristics of some the major phylums of invertebrates.

    Sponges being fed a harmless yellow dye to trace water currents

    4:40 pm– Students return to Pearson College.

In order to make the experience more enjoyable and informative for everyone, we suggest that the students do some research before coming on the field lab. It would make things more interesting if they could get a basic familiarity with some of the possible species in the different phylums which they will be seeing at Race Rocks.

Some possibilities are :
Phylum Porifera:sponges,
Phylum Cnidaria: sea anemone, hydroids, corals,
Phylum Mollusca: mussels, abalone, scallops,
Phylum Annelida: tubeworms,
Phylum Arthropoda : barnacles, shrimp, crabs,
Phylum Echinodermata: sea stars,sea cucumbers, sea urchins,
Phylum Chordata: sea squirts, marine mammals and marine birds.
By researching elsewhere in the Taxonomy Files, they may find reference to some of these organisms that live in the Marine Protected Area – Race Rocks Ecological reserve .
The students of Pearson College in the diving service program are looking forward to the school labs program. With your full cooperation, enthusiasm and imagination, the school labs will prove to be very informative and exciting for all of us.
This page was originally designed by Eve from Quebec and Heather from Manitoba. They were the members of the diving activity who co-ordinated the schools labs in the spring of 1997. modified– 03/03/99

 

The Schools Project Archive 1997-98

SCHOOLS FIELD LAB PROJECT: In the late 1990’s the Pearson College Diving Service ran a series of field trips involving students of grade seven classes in the Sooke School District.The field trips were to the Pilot Study Marine Protected Area of Race Rocks Ecological Reserve. The students of the Diving Service took responsibility for designing the curriculum, organizing the trips and conducting the field trips. The files below came from an earlier version of the Pearson College website. This page will show some of the images from those trips and the exercises the Diving Service members designed for the grade 7 students.

A special thanks to Duane Prentice (PC year4), now a professional photographer working out of Victoria, who has contributed his time and energy to help us build up a set of pictures on Race Rocks. Most of the schools program pictures above have been supplied by him.

Link to the Diving Service Schools Project 1999