All schools in Thessaloniki, Macedonia, Northern Greece who would like to experiment with orienteering are kindly requested to contact Konstantinos Koukouris in order to make arrangements for a project. An example of what could be done is presented below. The comments are made by the teacher Linda Kainz. Όλα τα σχολεία της Θεσσαλονίκης, της Μακεδονίας και γενικότερα της Βόρειας Ελλάδας που επιθυμούν να πειραματιστούν με τον αγωνιστικό (η μη) προσανατολισμό, παρακαλούνται να επικοινωνήσουν με τον Κωνσταντίνο Κουκουρή προκειμένου να οργανώσουν ένα πρόζεκτ. Η ενημέρωση και η παρουσίαση του αθλήματος μέσα στην τάξη είναι δωρεάν. Ένα παράδειγμα αυτού που θα μπορούσε να γίνει είναι το παρακάτω πρόζεκτ που διεξήχθη σε τέσσερις μέρες.
Pinewood Middle School Orienteering Project 2012
“We are very happy to present Pinewood Middle School students with the opportunity to experience the outdoor activity of Orienteering in our community. The sport of orienteering requires students to self navigate through unfamiliar terrain given only a map and compass in order to find preset control points. We are fortunate to have enlisted the expertise of a leading professional in this field, Mr. Konstantinos Koukouris, who will lead four sessions on Orienteering for students in grades 6-8.”
Event information
Session 1 Wednesday April 25 – 1:05-2:55 at Pinewood School
Introductory session to the sport of Orienteering and Orientation in the natural environment.
Students will actively participate in learning the techniques of map reading and compass skills to determine direction and distances.
Session 2 Wednesday May 2 – 11:30-2:45 at Thermi Park
Using a professional orienteering map and compass, students (as a group) will determine the best way to move through the forest in order to find preset control flags.
Students will discover the meaning of different map symbols, contour lines, and experience the difficulty of moving through rough terrain.
Session 3 Wednesday May 16 – 11:30-2:45 at Sei Sou Forest near Hotel Philipion
Orienteering Score Event – A 60 minute timed event whereby students, in groups of 2-3, will read a professional orienteering map of Sei Sou Park to determine the whereabouts of preset control flags in a restricted area of the forest. Teams will be awarded a varying number of points for each reached flag, which will depend on the degree of difficulty of reaching the control flag.
Session 4 Wednesday May 30 – 10:30 – 2:45 at Thermi Park
Orienteering Timed Event – Pairs of students will read a professional map of Thermi Park and decide on a course route in order to reach all the set control flags and get back to the starting point in the fastest time possible. The starting time of each pair will be staggered at 1-minute intervals.
Students will need to have the following items at Session 2-4 Events:
Proper walking or running shoes
Lightweight clothing (layered)
A whistle
A packed lunch, a bottle of water in a small, easy to carry backpack or bag
We are very excited about the prospects of seeing our students actively enjoying the environment, participating in a new sport, and interacting with each other outside the classroom walls.
Warm wishes for a wonderful Spring holiday.
Linda Kainz
Middle School Team Leader
