Over the past 6 weeks, the 3rd Grade Students at DES have been participating in a Fishing Unit during their Physical Education Class with Mrs. Lindsay Beaton. Throughout the unit they have learned about fishing rods, reels, bait & tackle, proper casting, Arkansas native fish, fish habitats, water safety and knot tying. All of this was made possible by several organizations. Our fishing curriculum and equipment was provided by the Arkansas Game & Fish Commissions Fishing In the Natural State (FINS) program as well as the Outdoor Adventures Curriculum provided by the Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation. Ranger Russell Malahey and Ranger Eric Ball, from the Army Corps of Engineers, came to DES to present Water Safety lessons for our students in Kindergarten - 3rd Grade!
The culmination of the Fishing Unit was the 3rd Grade Fishing Derby that was held at DeWitt City Park on Wednesday May 18th, 2022. DeWitt City Park was stocked with catfish by the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission. Prizes were sponsored by: Farmers & Merchants Bank, Young Insurance Agency, Black, Inc., Traylor Mechanics, Grumpy's Cookshack, JSG Ag Spraying, LLC., Charles & Dana Horton, Wingfield Physical Therapy, Fisher Trucking, Dean's Pharmacy and Webb's Sporting Goods. All bait was provided by Webb's Sporting Goods and they also manned our bait and fishing pole repair tent during the derby. Nurse Whitney Slane ran our onsite First Aid tent with all first aid supplies sponsored by DeWitt Hospital & Nursing Home. All 3rd Grade Students were also provided with a water bottle by the Arkansas County Extension Office.
The following organizations provided volunteers to partner with our students at the fishing derby: Webb's Sporting Goods, U.S. Fish & Wildlife, Arkansas Game & Fish Potlatch Education Center, Cox Realty, ARCO Title, ARM 180, Grumpy's Cookshack, Ameca Bar & Grill, Papaw's Pizza, Wingfield PT, Southern Bancorp, Famers & Merchants Bank, Stone Bank and Fisher Trucking. The DeWitt Youth Fishing Team members volunteered as rovers for the day, helping unhook fish, gathering bait and keeping up with the fish count for the day! We also had many parents, grandparents, retired educators and friends volunteer to help students fish throughout the day. Our event wouldn't have been successful without all of our community members!
The DES 3rd Grade Students enjoyed the fishing unit and absolutely loved the derby! What an exciting way to get kids outdoors! You can watch a video of the fishing unit and derby by following this link: DES 3rd Grade Fishing Unit & Fishing Derby