Program Promotes Fishing To Avoid Peer Pressure, Improve Environment
Last updated Tuesday, August 30, 2005 10:25 PM CDT in News
By Jaclyn Houghton
The Morning News
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ROGERS -- Nicole Chitwood has fished with her father since she was 4 years old and as a fifth-grader at Northside Elementary School will have the opportunity to test her fishing skills.
Northside adopted the Hooked On Fishing-Not On Drugs program this year in a move to teach pupils about nature, increase parental involvement and communication, and keep children from succumbing to peer pressure.
"The student responds to it great because students like to fish and it keeps them away from drugs and other things that could get them in trouble," said Kim Gober, counselor at Northside.
Fifth graders and their family members met in Northside's cafeteria Tuesday night to hear more about the free program.
"Getting them involved in fishing and mother nature is the right thing to do," said Julie King, mother of fifth grader Shelby.
Gober worked at Taylor Elementary School in White Hall, which participated in the national program. Gober introduced the program to Stephen Bowman, assistant principal, and Linda Jefferson, fifth grade math and language arts teacher. The program is a joint venture between the governor's office, the Arkansas Department of Education and the Future Fisherman Foundation, Gober said.
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is lending 100 fishing rods and reels, and a 55-gallon aquarium to the school that must be filled with native Arkansas fish. Students will learn how to fish under a curriculum consistent with the Arkansas framework.
Pupils in the program will be in a fishing club meeting once a month during the school day. They can also attend free family fishing trips and two fishing derbies, which will be held on Saturdays. At the derbies pupils will be judged in different areas that could include the first fish or the smallest fish caught.
The goal is to get parents involved in the program as well as the children, Jefferson said.
"Most everybody can take a Saturday afternoon to be with their kids," she said.
There will be officer positions in the club and pupils will help coordinate community service projects, the fishing trips and the derbies.
The program "can give them a sense of belonging because a lot of them sometimes don't feel they are a part of things," Gober said.
Learning to care for the environment is one of the main objectives of the program, Jefferson said.
"I want these kids to be aware of our environment," Jefferson said. "I think if they don't learn to take care of it, we're in bad shape."
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