The Regional Office of Education for Henderson, Knox, Mercer, and Warren County in partnership with Nutrien Ag Solutions will host the annual 5th Grade Outdoor Education Day. Jodi Scott, Regional Superintendent of Schools, is proud to offer this great program that has been a tradition of the Regional Office of Education for many years. This year will mark the 35th year of this event!
The event will be held at Lake Storey in Galesburg on September 22nd, 2022, from 9:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. There will be over fifty Volunteer Presenters greeting over 500 fifth grade students from Knox County Schools and their teachers while they rotate through 8 different stations on outdoor and environmental education topics throughout the day. Some of the station topics include the following: Aquatics, Renewable Resources Scavenger Hunt, Butterflies and Bees, Native American History, Nature Trivia, Weather, as well as the student favorite annual Fishing Station led by Al Hayden.
The Regional Office of Education is grateful to Nutrien Ag Solutions for their monetary donation that supports the expenses of having Outdoor Education Day. We are also grateful to the many volunteers who come out every year to participate as a Presenter. Many of the volunteers have been a part of Outdoor Education Day since its inception in 1985. One such volunteer was the late Ken Russell who participated in the event as part of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources as a state fish biologist. Ken’s impact as an environmental enthusiast was far reaching as he volunteered his time to work with kids in multiple counties throughout the state to share his love and passion for the outdoors. It is because of his lifelong work and dedication to the
environment and educating students that Jodi Scott renamed this event in honor of Ken. The event is now called the Regional Office of Education #33 Ken Russell Outdoor Education Day.