MDC invites educators to hybrid Basic Archery Instructor Training Jan. 30 at Wentzville Middle School

WENTZVILLE, Mo.-Teachers, if there was an activity that could help your students keep focus, improve their grades, and boost their self-esteem, would you say "bullseye?" Archery has been proven to do just that for students who participate in the Missouri National Archery in the Schools Program (MoNASP).

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is offering a hybrid online/in-person MoNASP Basic Archery Instructor Training (BAI) program for teachers. This is a free training class and is meant for teachers who are interested in incorporating MoNASP instruction into their school's curriculum. The class follows a model similar to MDC's Hunter Education training.

Teachers must complete the online portion and pass the online exam prior to attending this in-person portion of training. The in-person portion will be held Thursday, Jan. 30 from 4-8 p.m. at Wentzville Middle School, 405 Campus Drive in Wentzville.

Registration is limited to 15 people. Once registered an e-mail will be sent with the link to the online portion of the program. Volunteers other than teachers will need to gain approval for their attendance from their prospective school before registration.

BAI training is required for schools to participate in MoNASP and to qualify for related grant money. MoNASP is taught as a two-week unit during the school day and makes the school eligible to compete in National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) tournaments on a local, state, national and international level. Schools must qualify for the NASP competitions.

MoNASP is part of NASP, which provides the BAI certification, and is the national program that teaches international style target archery to students in grades 4-12.

Basic Archery Instructor Trainingis free, but advanced online registration is required. To sign up, go to http://short.mdc.mo.gov/4HA. For more information, contact MDC Conservation Educator Nicki Wheaton at [email protected], or call 636-441-4554, ext. 4140.

Statistics show school archery programs improve school attendance, increase participants self-esteem and physical activity, helps kids relate to learning subject matter, and gets them outdoors to discover nature. Participants also learn an activity they can enjoy for the rest of their lives in the form of recreational target shooting or bow hunting.

For more information about MoNASP, visit http://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZvV.