On our second day, we spent the morning revisiting the 7 Olympic Values (see Post #1) and trying to find connections to the 7 Sacred Teachings (love, respect, bravery, honesty, wisdom, humility, and truth). The two specialists from the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) used a Venn Diagram to help the children find connections between the two sets of values. They had to use their best thinking to identify similarities as much of this was new terminology for them, though not new concepts.
Next, our teachers for the day took us on a hike through deep snow to the Paskapoo Slopes, http://www.paskapoo.com/, which is also known as the Eastlands, of the COP. This used to be a site for a buffalo run long ago. We stopped to listen to and watch waxwing birds. We saw bushes of Saskatoon berries and Alberta white rose. We also saw a few animal tracks here and there. We had a refreshing walk despite the few challenges that hiking in snow and ice presents.
In the afternoon we had inspiring talks by two athletes, a gymnast and a luger, from the National Sport School http://schools.cbe.ab.ca/b830/. Despite the many challenges they've faced - hip replacement and spine injuries - these two female athletes exemplified for the students many of the Olympic Values we had been discussing over the last two days. A special treat was to try on the gear that goes with being a luger and to practice some gymnastic moves.
End of day #2.