CLEARING Compendium 2009

Outdoor Classroom Project (continued)
Students stay in cabins with parent volunteer chaperones,
eat family style meals in the dining hall and have campﬁre each
night. Students regularly pick this experience as the highlight of
their 6
th
grade year. Many of out students come from Hispanic
families where camping is not a cultural norm and so for many
of our students this is a huge “ﬁrst”. First away from families
overnight, ﬁrst time in the mountains, ﬁrst time seeing wildlife,
all huge experiences in the life of a child, and often for parents as
well.
Starting last year high school students from the AP Biology
and Ecology class are helping teach ﬁeld study and staying in
cabins with students. This current school year we will have high
school students that went to our program as 6
th
graders, offering
them another chance to be part of our project.
Student habitat analysis work in the park has resulted in
grant funding through the Washington State Park service to com-
plete habitat restoration projects that our students have identi-
ﬁed as a need. We have developed a unique relationship with the
park Rangers and they are an integral part of our program.
Strand 3. Alpinee Outdoor Research Program
The Alpinees were a Mountain Education and Search and
Rescue Organization in Hood River started after World War II. In
2007, the club decided to disband and began looking for an heir
to its assets. The club owns a historic lodge in Hood River that
served as their base of operations. This lodge is currently for sale
and after the close of sale approximately $200,000 will be placed
in trust to provide annual funds expressly for the purpose of
taking students on outdoor experience ﬁeld trips. This fund will
Hood River Middle School students with Mr. Becker on the climb to view
provide a source of transportation funds for many years to come.
Eliot Glacier on the north face of Mt. Hood.
Based on the growth of the fund, their will be consistent funding
to weather the variability of school trip budgets. The fund has
two main student goals:
1. To expose students to a variety of lifelong outdoor pursuits,
in all seasons.
2. To engage students in ﬁeld research in the natural sciences.
The funds are earmarked expressly for student transporta-
tion costs and teacher training.
Research partners are still being developed, but include the
Hood River County Soil and Water Conservation District, the
Gorge Ecology Institute and the US Forest Service. By putting
students in the ﬁeld with real tasks that have detailed and specif-
ic reporting goals, student expectations and deliverables increase
dramatically. Students understand that this is real work, not just
something headed for the recycle bin. The interaction between
ﬁeld professionals and students is a huge added beneﬁt.
The combination of the day long ﬁeld-science trips, the
outdoor campus laboratories and the three day Outdoor School
Program immerses students into ﬁeldwork in a variety of set-
tings, seasons and tasks. By having such a variety of experiences
over the entire school year we are able to capitalize on the learn-
ing opportunities and give students a myriad of ways to apply,
express, and present their learning to an array of audiences.
For more information on this program, contact Michael Becker at Hood River Middle School students installing solar electric system with
mbecker@hoodriver.k12.or.us
electrician.
Clearing - 2009 Compendium Edition http://www.clearingmagazine.org Page 13
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