SANDPOINT — Students, educators, volunteers and community experts convened at Washington Elementary Friday for the first-ever Cougar Community Connection. 

The event offered students a chance to delve into topics of their choosing for two hour-long sessions. A total of 90 experts and volunteers hosted 17 unique workshops that included an opportunity to interact with local firefighters and their fire engine and an “instrument petting zoo,” where kids could try playing horns, woodwinds and drums.

At one station, Washington teacher Kathleen Crouch helped students make tortillas from scratch and read aloud from books about Latin American language and culture. 

“I enjoy cooking, and I thought that would be a fun activity that they don't normally get in a regular school day,” Crouch said. 

At another station, hobbyist paleontologist Carly DeNeui showed students how to dig through excavation kits she had made out of sand and plaster that contained plastic gems and real shark and stingray teeth. 

DeNeui also brought a collection of artifacts unearthed during her summer trips to Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota and gave students a chance to hold genuine fossils. 

“As a kid, I was always fascinated by bones — whether they were deer bones or dinosaur bones,” she said. “I just want to encourage more kids. If they have a love of dinosaur bones, they can definitely be that person who’s finding the next cool discovery.” 

Washington principal and event organizer Natassia Hamer modeled the Community Connection after Arts, Authors and Us — a past series of events that featured presentations and workshops with local creatives. 

The Community Connection’s more expansive offerings, Hamer said, were designed to appeal to the interests of all students. Each kid was allowed to select and rank their top five choices, and staff ensured the two stations each student was assigned to were among his or her top picks. 

That way, students feel a sense of autonomy and buy into the activities they participate in.

“Our hope was that it would be hard for them to narrow down their top five,” Hamer said. “They're going to learn because they want to be there.” 

Hamer funded the event by pursuing and receiving a grant offered by Panhandle Alliance for Education — a local foundation dedicated to supporting Lake Pend Oreille School District. 

At the event, PAFE executive director Amy Longanecker shed light on why the Community Connection was a project worth backing. 

“Part of PAFE’s mission is to bring the community and the school district together,” she said. “Anytime you can involve the community in these projects, it just benefits everyone.” 

“It’s fun to see the smiles on the kids' faces,” Longanecker added. “I’m willing to bet this will be a day these kids remember for a long time.” 

    Washington students participate in a shootaround hosted by Sandpoint High School basketball players and assistant varsity coach Madi Schoening on March 21.