High School students gain unique work experience

This week, The Cochrane Polar Bear Habitat welcomed a small group of students from the Ecole Secondaire Cochrane High School. A special collaboration between the High School and The Habitat has been created to support students in the high support program. The goal of this course is to introduce students to what it means to have a job and the associated responsibilities.

During their first shift, students received a tour of the facility, including a behind-the-scenes look at the bear holding building and a medical-based

crate training session with Ganuk. Following this, they jumped straight into their first task of cleaning the Viewers Building. The students did a very thorough job and even had a little fun while working! The class will have two scheduled shifts per week at The Habitat, which will help to reinforce consistency, allow students to become familiarized with our facility and more confident in their work, and introduce students to the concept of attending a workplace on a regular schedule.

Community engagement and education are key aspects of our mission. We highly value collaborations such as this, as they allow us to connect with students in a deeper and more meaningful manner. We aim to give the students a well-rounded experience by involving them in many aspects of our work, including animal care, administration, customer service, groundskeeping, and special events.

If you would like more information on this project, or are interested in collaborating with the Cochrane Polar Bear Habitat, please reach out to Amy at amy.baxendell@polarbearhabitat.ca.