At the end of the 2023-2024 school year, a group of 5th and 6th grade students banded together to find a solution to a Jenks Wild water shoe problem.
Each year, all 6th graders in Jenks have the opportunity to attend Jenks Wild, an outdoor environmental camp. Students attend adventure labs, ranging from canoeing and ropes course, to survival and water study.
During the water study adventure, students wade into the creek with nets to see what critters they can find and to learn about the biodiversity of Flint Creek.
An ongoing issue that arises at Jenks Wild is that some students don’t bring appropriate water shoes for the water study class. The flip flops/crocs they attempt to wear fall off and float away down the creek or they have to wear soggy tennis shoes for the rest of camp.
6th graders who previously attended Jenks Wild brainstormed possible causes of the problem and came up with three solutions:
Revise the Jenks Wild packing list with pictures of which types of shoes will work and which types won’t.
Share the packing list with families in the spring of 5th grade instead of waiting until the fall of 6th grade. Water shoes are harder to find in the fall than in the summer.
Develop a small “lending library” of water shoes.
We took their advice for idea number one and two, then brought in a group of 5th graders to help with the logistics of the water shoe lending library.
The 5th graders enthusiastically accepted the challenge. They surveyed 5th graders to determine most common shoe sizes and researched potential water shoes that were cost effective, highly rated, and gender neutral. Next, they developed a proposal for which shoe/size/quantity to purchase and invited the Jenks Public Schools Foundation to come to West Intermediate to hear their pitch for developing a water shoe lending library.
Jenks Public Schools Foundation Executive Director, Liz Flake, graciously made the time to visit with these students and agreed to fund their proposal. The Jenks Foundation has been a long-time major supporter of Jenks Wild and we appreciate this additional layer of support.
The 5th graders (6th graders this year) were excited when the water shoes arrived and will get to see the results of their problem solving in just a few weeks, as every student will have the opportunity to wear appropriate water shoes at Jenks Wild.
