PATRICK COEN AWARDED BRASS BLUEGILL FOR 2003

 

DES MOINES - Patrick Coen of Mt. Pleasant, is the recipient of the 2003 Brass Bluegill Award, presented each year to an instructor who has established an outstanding local program that exemplifies the goals of Fish Iowa! The award is co-sponsored by Pure Fishing and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Aquatic Education Program.

 

Coen has been involved in the Fish Iowa! program since his first year of teaching. For 10 years he has included a four-week Fish Iowa! unit in his third-grade science class. Each year, some 25 students learn about fish anatomy and habitats and how to operate fishing poles, tie flies, and fillet fish. And, each year they go fishing. Many grandparents and parents help with the fishing excursions - fishing with the children, helping with poles and lures, and fixing lunch.

 

Last year, four graduating seniors from Coen's first third grade class also helped with the fishing trip. One of the graduates, Karen Weems, said, "Mr. Coen was my favorite teacher and I enjoyed his class a whole bunch - I still look up to him. I just think this is a positive experience for kids and thought it would be fun to help out." (Three of the four who helped plan to become teachers.)

 

Jill Colley, a resource room teacher at Mt. Pleasant, is also being recognized for her contribution to Fish Iowa!  Colley teaches about 20 students in grades K-5. She tries to involve all the students at some level, but it's the fourth and fifth graders who do the entire unit (seven or eight students each year). She does Fish Iowa! because "it teaches life skills my kids really take to, enjoy, and are successful with." Colley has been a resource room teacher for 16 years.

 

Coen and Colley have teamed up to do fishing programs through the years. They did summer programs for upper elementary youth through the Mt. Pleasant Parks and Recreation Department and for talented and gifted children through their local area education agency. They also piloted the Hooked on Fishing, Not on Drugs® program in 1996-97 and assisted with revision of the Fish Iowa! teaching manual.

 

The Mt. Pleasant duo became mentors and started training other educators to do Fish Iowa! in 1995. Coen has trained 86 others to lead Fish Iowa! activities - teachers, pre-service teachers, county conservation board naturalists, youth leaders, home schoolers, park and recreation department employees, and even an outfitter. They represent 28 Iowa towns and 18 counties. He trained 33 people to do Fish Iowa! in 2002.

 

Colley also has trained several others to do Fish Iowa!  Of course they have trained their co-workers at Mt. Pleasant - several classroom teachers use the materials as resources. They have trained the physical education teachers too. The new high school even has two ponds that have been stocked with fish.

 

Coen became the assistant principal at the Mt. Pleasant Middle School last fall. He is still very supportive of the program as an administrator. Colley recently received her degree in administration as well.

 

Pure Fishing, co-sponsor of the award since 1997, is committed to inspiring people to go fishing and helping them learn how to fish, where to fish, and what fishing tackle to use. Pure Fishing is the parent company of Berkley, Abu Garcia, Fenwick, Red Wolf, Mitchell, Johnson, and Spider. Their World Headquarters is in Spirit Lake, IA.

 

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