MONTICELLO - Those who have spent a considerable amount of time in the woods have probably observed a squirrel in the midst of its ritualistic construction of a leafy nest high up in the crook of an oak tree.
Typically, the endeavor occurs during a menacing weather pattern, on a chilly fall day with a brisk wind and dark gray clouds that block out the sun's warmth. The squirrel's bushy tail bounces every which way as it works at a fevered pace, snipping off twigs on the surrounding branches and hustling back to the building site to weave the new materials into another layer of insulation.
The squirrel knows instinctively that the leaves will keep it warm during a long, cold Wisconsin winter. Now, students enrolled in the Emergency Wilderness Survival course taught by veteran physical education teacher Melody Flesher are also well aware of the concept.
"You must think like a squirrel," she advises students as they set out to gather leaves nearby residents have left along the curb for pick up by the village. The leaves are stuffed into rag "vests" designed to keep the survivors warm until rescue.
While most of the students are collecting leaves, others are dispatched to the "kitchen" (a small storage building used to house class materials and supplies) to butcher a raccoon and thus stave off starvation. The emergency food supply in this case derives from "road kill" Flesher has picked up on the way to work.
"I check out the roadway on my way home at night. I compare that with what's there the next morning. If I see something fresh I stop and pick it up," she explained.
The course description gives students fair warning: "Prepare for the unexpected!" Flesher creates fantasy situations - being abandoned on a desert island or lost in the mountains - then challenges the students' ingenuity to figure out ways to survive.
Creation of the course was born of necessity, according to Flesher. The district dropped its Drivers' Education program and needed a replacement for the nine-week course. "'I'll think of something,' I told them," she said smiling.
What evolved became one of the most popular electives at the high school. For Flesher, who has spent her entire year teaching career in Monticello, the course keeps her energized. "I've been here forever - about 34 years now - but still having fun."
Laying claim to a "survival name" is the first order of business at the beginning of the term. Hence, Kelsey Beckwith becomes "Sunshine," a name that reflects her personality "a little bit." Casey Murray takes the name "Frosty" while Megan Norton adopts the moniker of "Coon."
Frosty likes being outside and hopes to use the skills he's learning in the class if he decides to join the Army National Guard. "You can use the skills in the real world and in real life," he said.
Sunshine seems to thrive on the adventure of learning to survive in the wilderness. "You have to find your way out of danger," she said.
In most cases, the students use items found in proximity of the school building to complete the lesson plan. Early on, the "survivors" fanned out across the village to scavenge chunks of tree branches and other debris placed curbside for collection by village workers.
The materials were used to build a hut for shelter. "The shelter is supposed to be waterproof which I intend to test - with the students inside," Flesher said with a laugh.
Other lessons require the students to build nets for catching fish and fashion traps to capture wild animals. They learn to spark fires, devise distress signals and collect water from grass and trees.
The students are allowed to use knives to perform the various survival techniques. However, their instructor collects the implements after each class period and maintains strict control over them by keeping them under lock and key when the class is not in session.
A final assignment has the students hold a "press conference" with Good Morning America about being rescued from a desert island. "With a little knowledge, strength and determination, we managed to get off that island," Tyler "Raptor" Ritschard told the reporter.
- Lee Fahrney is the Times outdoors writer. He can be reached at (608) 967-2208 or at fiveoaks@mhtc.net.
Typically, the endeavor occurs during a menacing weather pattern, on a chilly fall day with a brisk wind and dark gray clouds that block out the sun's warmth. The squirrel's bushy tail bounces every which way as it works at a fevered pace, snipping off twigs on the surrounding branches and hustling back to the building site to weave the new materials into another layer of insulation.
The squirrel knows instinctively that the leaves will keep it warm during a long, cold Wisconsin winter. Now, students enrolled in the Emergency Wilderness Survival course taught by veteran physical education teacher Melody Flesher are also well aware of the concept.
"You must think like a squirrel," she advises students as they set out to gather leaves nearby residents have left along the curb for pick up by the village. The leaves are stuffed into rag "vests" designed to keep the survivors warm until rescue.
While most of the students are collecting leaves, others are dispatched to the "kitchen" (a small storage building used to house class materials and supplies) to butcher a raccoon and thus stave off starvation. The emergency food supply in this case derives from "road kill" Flesher has picked up on the way to work.
"I check out the roadway on my way home at night. I compare that with what's there the next morning. If I see something fresh I stop and pick it up," she explained.
The course description gives students fair warning: "Prepare for the unexpected!" Flesher creates fantasy situations - being abandoned on a desert island or lost in the mountains - then challenges the students' ingenuity to figure out ways to survive.
Creation of the course was born of necessity, according to Flesher. The district dropped its Drivers' Education program and needed a replacement for the nine-week course. "'I'll think of something,' I told them," she said smiling.
What evolved became one of the most popular electives at the high school. For Flesher, who has spent her entire year teaching career in Monticello, the course keeps her energized. "I've been here forever - about 34 years now - but still having fun."
Laying claim to a "survival name" is the first order of business at the beginning of the term. Hence, Kelsey Beckwith becomes "Sunshine," a name that reflects her personality "a little bit." Casey Murray takes the name "Frosty" while Megan Norton adopts the moniker of "Coon."
Frosty likes being outside and hopes to use the skills he's learning in the class if he decides to join the Army National Guard. "You can use the skills in the real world and in real life," he said.
Sunshine seems to thrive on the adventure of learning to survive in the wilderness. "You have to find your way out of danger," she said.
In most cases, the students use items found in proximity of the school building to complete the lesson plan. Early on, the "survivors" fanned out across the village to scavenge chunks of tree branches and other debris placed curbside for collection by village workers.
The materials were used to build a hut for shelter. "The shelter is supposed to be waterproof which I intend to test - with the students inside," Flesher said with a laugh.
Other lessons require the students to build nets for catching fish and fashion traps to capture wild animals. They learn to spark fires, devise distress signals and collect water from grass and trees.
The students are allowed to use knives to perform the various survival techniques. However, their instructor collects the implements after each class period and maintains strict control over them by keeping them under lock and key when the class is not in session.
A final assignment has the students hold a "press conference" with Good Morning America about being rescued from a desert island. "With a little knowledge, strength and determination, we managed to get off that island," Tyler "Raptor" Ritschard told the reporter.
- Lee Fahrney is the Times outdoors writer. He can be reached at (608) 967-2208 or at fiveoaks@mhtc.net.
