Cook County students put skills to the test during firearm safety field day

Kalli Hawkins | May 30, 2025

After spending months learning about firearm safety, hunting laws, and outdoor skills, 26 Cook County ISD 166 students put their knowledge into practice during a hands-on field day to complete their Minnesota Department of Natural Resources firearm safety certification on May 28.

Numerous Minnesota DNR conservation officers, volunteer firearm instructors, and Cook County teachers assisted the 25 sixth-graders and one seventh-grader in completing each required in-field portion of their training.

Each student completes four different firearm or archery safety stations, led by instructors who provide practical, real-life examples. The stations include a tree stand station, safely navigating obstacles in the field with a firearm, a shooting range, and an archery station.

“It’s such a highlight of the year to see how much they mature,” said ISD 166 Middle School Teacher Emma Spoon.

Spoon said it is rewarding to watch the sixth and seventh graders complete their firearm safety and display confidence in the skills that they have acquired in recent months.

The firearm safety certification is part of a safety course offered at ISD 166 and taught by Spoon. The course also includes snowmobile and ATV certifications and is part of a collaborative effort with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

The safety course was introduced to the school’s curriculum nearly nine years ago. Since then, it has increased the opportunities for middle school students to learn foundational safety skills and pursue safety certifications.

Within recent years, the ISD 166 safety course has included the collaboration of the 1854 Treaty Authority.

“We do have a certain amount of tribal youth that do attend Cook County Schools, and it’s really awesome that this program is actually embedded into their curriculum, in the day-to-day classroom curriculum,” said Marne Kaeske, the cultural preservation specialist for the 1854 Treaty Authority.

WTIP’s Kalli Hawkins attended the May 28 firearm safety certification field day and spoke with middle school teacher Emma Spoon and Marne Kaeske, the cultural preservation specialist for the 1854 Treaty Authority. The audio is below.

Pictures of the students are below: