With bright fishing flasher in hand, Emma Cunningham and Whitney Shkuratoff brought the Outdoor Education fund raising project to council Jan. 14.
NSS students are spearheading a project to raise money by making and selling fishing flashers which the students will be taking to an upcoming trade show down at the coast.
“It’s completely student driven,” said Cunningham, “Mr. Boswell is just there as a supervisor. The students take it on as their own project.”
The flashers come from a design Outdoor Ed. teacher Dorian Boswell came up with after seeing something similar and subsequently improved upon. Last year students sold about 100 flashers at $40 apiece.
“It’s really good for Dollies,” Cunningham, who was planning to be part of the Blue Knuckle Fishing Derby on the weekend, testified.
The students have been building the fishing accessories for about two years now, and took part in a trade show last year. This year, they’re putting their flasher on the market, taking them to sell at the trade show. Approximately 2,000 people come through the doors each day of the show, giving a lot of exposure to the students’ project, and the village.
“This year, we rented two booths,” Cunningham told council. “one for flashers, the other to advertise Nakusp.” The Chamber of Commerce, the Nakusp Rodeo, and other places around town are already sold on the idea and have contributed promotional materials for the booth.
The bait on the hook was Cunningham’s next question: What would the Village of Nakusp like to put in the booth?
Mayor Karen Hamling said the Village would definitely want to put something about the Nakusp Hot Springs in the booth.
The mayor also made it clear that although Council can’t fund projects like this, they would be able to help by lending a booth for the students to take to the show.
Boswell said one thing the students are looking for is a point-of-sale machine so they can take credit card payments for flashers. Suggestions were made that a local business that might be able to help.
Boswell said there is a lot of enthusiasm in town for the project.
“We’re getting lots of support for this and it looks like it’s going to be a good experience for the kids. It’s all student driven,” he told council. “Students are making the promotional video, they’re doing the signs, they’re doing the slogans, they’re making the things, they’re marketing it. They have to do the accounting, they have to set up the booths, they have to figure out how to get down there; this is all them.”
Both the Chamber of Commerce and the Nakusp Community Foundation have approved funding for the students’ trip to the trade show.
“Anybody who wants to advertise anything to do with Nakusp, we’ll take it,” said Boswell, who also mentioned the group is also looking for two big-screen TVs to take for their display as well. Anyone who has a promotional video or material is welcome to get in touch with the Outdoor Education class and Dorian Boswell.