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Burdett School celebrates Farmer’s Day

Posted on November 3, 2020 by 40 Mile Commentator

By Justin Seward

Commentator/Courier

Burdett School staff and students were seen in their best western apparel on Thursday as a part of the school’s Farmer’s Day.
Ingrid Dekker is a junior high school teacher and says the school comes up with a spirit day for the school every month.
Her CTF (Career and Technology Foundations) class is taught about what it is like to plan a school-wide event.
“The Grade 9 are responsible for getting all the kids to dress up as a farmer- that was our theme for this month,” said Dekker.
“The kids need days like this is what we find. Like getting them (to) braid their pigtails. That’s why we pick things from their background and so Farmer’s Day is really good.”
Dekker says the school is trying to combine school spirit and community involvement.
There was much preparation that went into Farmer Day from the Grade 9 leadership class and ways to promote school spirit and theme.
The October theme also included Thanksgiving and harvest.
“It’s a fun way to dress up. We find that kids just start to laugh when they see their friends,” said Dekker.
Grade 1 and 2 teacher Susan Cleland says it’s important to hold these days this year because of the pandemic.
“We can’t have interaction. We are in our cohorts. This day gives us a little bit of unity and allows the school to participate in the same activity. It’s also important to have some fun and laughter and some relief from everything that’s happening around us,” said Cleland.
Cleland appreciated Burdett Western Tractor’s Justin Weatherhead coming out because the community is so small.
“A lot of students live in Bow Island or the rural area,” said Cleland.
“But it is a part of my Social Studies curriculum-is your community, rural versus urban. Western Tractor is such an important part of the community and the area of southern Alberta in general. My dad was a farmer and when I was growing up, I knew about Green Power (before the dealership was called Western Tractor).”
Cleland’s class journals and it was important for her students to be exposed to different people and opportunities.
“I think it was important for our junior high boys when Ingrid asked, ‘OK how many of you would be interested in being a mechanic?’ (And) To show them what opportunities are available for our children-they get really excited about those kinds of things,” said Cleland.
Weatherhead brought in a sprayer for students to ask questions about.
“We usually do a field trip every year and unfortunately with what the world is going through right now, they couldn’t come to us, so we came to them and explained how important Western Tractor is to the community and how long it’s been here,” said Weatherhead.
“It’s been a big part of my family for the past 60 plus years and wanted to bring the kids because I know they quite enjoy it.”
He explained the visibility of the sprayer and when they’re being unfolded-they are a big machine- and vision is not great when driving down the road.
“When we through it, they ask, and they seem to be knowledgeable,” said Weatherhead.
“I think a lot of the kids’ dads and parents work on the farm. I think they have a pretty good idea of the safety side of it.”
November’s theme will be Streets Alive pamphlet folding.

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