The Core Sound Decoy Guild is currently teaching kids at three Downeast schools to carve water birds.  The Communities in Schools (CIS) program, an after-school enrichment program for children ages 9 to 13, requested the Guild come to the Smyrna, Atlantic, and Harkers Island schools to teach kids to carve water birds in January and February. This request came by popular demand from the children involved—many of whom participated in our similar summer program. 

Each child will carve a seven-inch Loon, a half-sized Mallard, and a Red Knot shorebird.  Dawn Simpson is the director of the CIS program the guild has supported in our summer program and Ruthie King’s sessions teaching the children duck and loon calling earlier this year.

Guild members involved include Curt Salter, Billy Smith, Kelley Nelson, Jack Gardner, Bill Boudreau, Joe Bernie Dupree, Raymond Earp, James Salter, Stan Rule, and other guild members.

Youth involved will have photos of their birds posted on the IWCA Web site, and they will be recognized by receiving a membership to the IWCA along with a congratulatory letter.  Clearly, this co-coordinated effort is meant to foster continued youth involvement in carving that has already yielded recognition of our youth carvers in IWCA competitions—but more so, to foster continued interest in waterfowl, the environment, and the art of water bird carving.

The CIS program continues each Thursday afternoon through February. It will be offered again later this spring, and will likely repeat our summer program with these young carvers. 

In addition to this school program, our monthly Kids Carve occurs the third Saturday of each month.  Member support is strongly welcomed at any of these times.  The Core Sound Decoy Guild can be proud of the strongest youth program of this type in the country.

Contact Stan Rule to participate in this program.