聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 The Canora branch of the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation (SWF) donated $1,000 to the National Archery in the School Program (NASP) at the Canora Junior Elementary School (CJES) and $500 to the NASP program at the Canora Composite School (CCS) on January 24.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Steven Wyonzek, SWF president, said the group sees this is an worthwhile investment in the future.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚t鈥檚 important to get the kids involved with archery and enjoying the outdoors when they are at a young age.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Students are eligible for NASP starting in Grade 4. Rod Steciuk, CJES coach, said all of the school鈥檚 Grade 4 students, a total of 48 archers, are involved in the program this year. The future for the program appears to be bright, because many Grade 3 students have indicated they can鈥檛 wait until they鈥檙e old enough to get involved.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Steciuk said there are multiple benefits for students who get involved in NASP.
鈥淎nyone can do it and can have success relatively quickly if they give it a good effort. They have a lot of fun, and it helps them feel good about themselves.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 He said the donation to CJES will be used to cover ongoing costs, including replacing worn out arrows, targets, bows and bowstrings.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Even though CJES and CCS are two different schools, the NASP programs are like one big team, said Thomas Lowes, CCS coach.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Lowes said the CCS portion of the donation will either be used to cover tournament fees or to cover ongoing costs. He said financial support from groups such as the SWF make all the difference in keeping the archery program going.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 He said 51 students from grades 5-12 are involved in NASP at CCS currently, 鈥渨hich may be the highest ever,鈥� and said students continue to benefit from the program as they get older.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚t really helps them improve their focus. For those who don鈥檛 do other sports, it gives them a chance to be part of a positive group activity.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Lowes said many of the students involved in NASP plan to be hunters in the future, and the program provides them with a good opportunity to work on those skills.
