Saco High School English Class trained by survivalist

As part of a unit on survival stories in English class, Saco High School students were able to enhance their knowledge with hands-on, real-world survival activities on March 7th.

Survival instructor Rod Alne from Peak Fitness in Butte began the training in the classroom and focused on the survivor mindset, hiking preparation, and injury prevention and treatment. Alne then transitioned into the hands-on portion, and students were tasked with readying their fuel: cotton balls with petroleum jelly.

With fuel ready and warm clothes on, students headed to Bjornberg Bridge to create a signal, which was followed by shelter-building using only what the environment provided.

After a quick and breezy lunch, students got to the highlight: fire. Alne required that each student build a fire using magnesium fire starters.

Next, Alne broke students into teams of two, and each team had to build a fire and then boil water. Laynee Simpson and Jessa Erickson won the competition with a time of nine minutes and forty seconds.

To celebrate the day, students collaboratively built a bigger fire, roasted marshmallows, and recapped what they learned.

This opportunity was made possible through a grant from Montana Small Schools Alliance.