This Section Is to Highlight The Achievements of our Young Radio Operators and the People and Organizations Who Give them Their Support
Victoria Central Middle School -
I contacted Terrance Berscheid, VE7TBC, the president of the Youth Education Amateur Radio Society (Years) about their involvement with the Victoria Central Middle School. The following was his reply and it's better than I could have come up with.
1.We start with very basic electronics -- 'show and tell' demonstrations about the theories and practical applications, and build up to more focused study of various electronic topics, subject to the interests and capabilities of the students. We also study the appropriate operating procedures, and the 'rules and requirements' applicable to amateur radio. This takes approximately half of the study time. Donn, VA7DH, and I do much of the theoretical instruction.
2. We do practical radio work, talking to local, and distant hams, primarily on 2m and 440 frequencies, including simplex and via repeaters. Again, we apply some of the electronics theory to the practical --e.g. using a fluorescent light bulb to demonstrate that RF energy is being transmitted through the antenna. Radio work is particularly effective with students who have trouble communicating, or expressing themselves. The fact that the other party cannot see the student seems to help the students screw up their courage and start talking about themselves and their interests. Doug, VE7XAT and Kip VE7HVR are particularly good at drawing out 'shy' students, talking to them from afar (e.g. across town). You, Nick, VA7NAF, are usually the supervisor of the practical radio work.
3. Because Kathie VA7KTH loves to teach morse code, we allow those students who are interested in this mysterious means of communicating to work half the study period with her. Kathie particularly targets students who have attention deficit, and similar learning disabilities. The effort to coordinate mind and hand in transmitting morse code characters requires considerable focus; the students don't usually realize just how intensely they are listening, and then trying to communicate those strange combinations of 'dashes and dots'. For all of us on the instructional staff, there's always a great feeling of accomplishment when a student has that "Ah Hah' moment in recognizing a character, and later a full word, and finally a sentence. The same is true when we can walk away from a student at the radio, and just listen as the student 'professionally' operates and communicates.
4. At least once per term, and whenever possible twice in a term, our resident electronics expert, Ron Verrall, a Physicist, does an electronics demonstration, in which he begins by demonstrating some of the electronic principles, and then invites the students to hands-on experience with the gadgets he has developed to demonstrate the principles. We affectionately call him Dr. "Blow-it-Up" as his destruction of capacitors (in a safe manner, but very dramatic) is a highlight for children of that age. He also has 'tickle projects', where the students experience the stimulus of electronics passing through the body -- very mild shocks, which the students are invited to experience, should they be able to overcome their initial revulsion.
5. We arrange field trips to one or more of the local Emergency Operations Centres. The students get to use the EOC equipment, and learn how amateurs support our communities through involvement in Emergency Response.
The volunteers are a mix of experiences. They have electronics technicians, educators, a physicist, and a retired Coast Guard person. Many of the lessons have a "WOW" factor to garner interest.
The object of the program is to give the kids inspiration to carry on in the sciences or technical fields. The great thing is that it appears to be working. Many of the students who participated have gone on to take courses in the sciences. Some of the students have studied and earned their Basic amateur radio certification. The possibilitites that these young people will go on to bigger and better careers is almost guaranteed.
I would challenge other schools to do similar things. In the case of Victoria Central Middle school they were fortunate to have a very much loved counselor who took a course in ham radio and who became certified. She extended that new knowledge to assist some of the school's students.
Dr. Ron Verrall, retired physicist, alias Doctor Blow-It-Up, doing a demonstration. Apologies for masking the faces of students but had to do it for safety and security concerns. That and the fact the students have changed a lot over the past few years and their mom's would hardly recognize them anyway.
Student making a Morse key. Made from wood. Contacts are miniature snap switches.
Students making code practice oscillators from, locally produced, home made kits incorporating 555 chips.
Emergency vans from the Victoria Emergency Measures group and the Y.E.A.R.S. (Youth Education Amateur Radio Society) class
Students and teacher assembling a Buddipole
Demonstrating a portable community emergency communications radio unit to the students
Just looking at the RAC (Radio Amateurs Canada) web site there is a group within the organization called Y.E.P. and it has similar aspirations to the YEARS group.
http://www.rac.ca/YEP/
If you have any similar stories to tell pass them on and I will add them here to share.
VA7DH
email: va7dh@rac.ca
Please advise me if there are any failed links. Thanks!
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