After a two-year hiatus, Kinross Fort Knox was excited to welcome back elementary students for its ‘student mine tours’ in 2022!
Over the first half of the year, the mine welcomed over 275 students from 12 classrooms across the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District, which included many Fort Knox employees’ children and grandchildren.
The tours are an interdisciplinary collaborative effort and students are taught about responsible mining practices and Kinross’ core values before heading on site. They then get the opportunity to visit the operation’s pit overlook point, crusher and mill control room while meeting with representatives from geology, exploration, environment and mine operations.
While the tours are always exciting for the students, the highlight tends to be viewing the massive CAT 793 trucks from afar or holding the famous tour gold bar!
“I can speak for myself and all of the miners at Fort Knox when I say we enjoy seeing students visit the site,” said Terence Watungwa, Vice-President and General Manager, Kinross Alaska. “This annual opportunity creates a positive experience for local youth and helps them have a better understanding of responsible and modern-day mining.”
Fort Knox’s student mine tours are a long-standing outreach initiative in Fairbanks, and a large portion of current miners visited the mine when they were young students. The purpose is to get to know the community and have them better understand our operations, with the hope of inspiring the next young generation of miners!
