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Schools in the Roaring Fork Valley still focus on the three R’s of reading, writing and arithmetic, but local students also spend time learning about rivers, rocks and riparian zones.
Environmental and outdoor education is offered in the Roaring Fork School District from Glenwood Springs to Basalt, taught by district teachers or presented in cooperation with local governmental and environmental organizations.
Fourth graders tour Ruedi Reservoir to learn about water distribution and healthy rivers, and seventh graders trek up Mount Sopris to learn about orienteering skills and how to work in a group toward a challenging goal.
High school science students in all three communities can sign up for the popular Riverwatch class and learn how to monitor local streams, and teachers can take their students on site to the district’s longtime Carr/Parr Outdoor Recreation Facility located along the Roaring Fork River.
“Outdoor education is alive and well in the RFSD,” assistant superintendent Judy Haptonstall said. “Programs ranging from Riverwatch to trips to Rock Bottom Ranch serve to provide students with experiences outside the classroom walls.”
Basalt Elementary School first-grade teacher Shawn Rios goes outside the classroom to teach her class of English and Spanish speakers. The young students visit Cross Orchards living history farm in Grand Junction to learn about life in the early 1900s. The first graders go on nature hunts and learn how animals and plants prepare for winter at the Maroon Bells through the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies.
“Outdoor education trips provide a hands-on, meaningful experience that reach a variety of learners,” Rios said.
Environmental professionals active in teaching
Each year, district students learn from environmental professionals in the local community, such as educators from ACES, the Colorado Division of Wildlife, the U.S. Forest Service, the Roaring Fork Conservancy in Basalt and Earthsense in Carbondale. The organizations offer monthly environmental science classes and special field trips.
“Development of ACES’ in-school and field programs are a response to parent, teacher and school board interest that natural sciences and ecological literacy be part of their children’s education,” said Holly Hannaway, ACES education director.
Local students can take trips to ACES’ Rock Bottom Ranch Wildlife Preserve, located along the Roaring Fork River between Basalt and Carbondale, to learn about organic gardens, domestic livestock, and wild animals from elk to eagle, beaver to bobcat.
The nonprofit Roaring Fork Conservancy is very active in the school district, providing everything from nature walks for seventh graders to weekly education programs for elementary students. The students are outside exploring, which is generally what kids do best, said Tim O’Keefe, conservancy education director.
“The coolest thing is when you have those ‘wow’ moments when you see the kids’ faces light up about what they are experiencing. Those are the priceless moments where kids are making connections between the classroom and outside,” O’Keefe said.
Up close with fish
Working with the DOW, elementary and middle school students get the chance to raise endangered river fish through the Classroom Aquarium Program.
“Each year teachers use the aquariums to help teach statistics, language arts, math, Colorado history, art and other content subjects,” explained Stan Johnson, DOW western Colorado education coordinator. “In the spring, students will tag their fish and release them into a Colorado River drainage.”
Glenwood Springs Middle School teacher Megan Dean takes her Peak students to catch macro-invertebrates, also known as bugs, from flies to worms to leeches, in a study of Mitchell Creek. Working with the conservancy, the students conduct chemical tests on the water, measure turbidity and survey erosion.
Dean said the river trips and stream trailer activities are “fantastic experiences for the kids.”
“Making learning meaningful through real-life experiences is one of the things that all teachers strive to give their students,” Dean said. “Real learning is not through the regurgitation of facts.”
Direct experience more meaningful
Certain schools place extra emphasis on outdoor education as an important part of the curriculum. At the district’s charter kindergarten through eighth-grade Carbondale Community School, the physical education teacher also coordinates outdoor programs from overnight group camping to rock climbing on Independence Pass.
“Taking a student out of a familiar environment and into the out-of-doors builds self-confidence and reliance, teamwork and communication skills and extends the classroom curriculum into an applied environment,” CCS Principal Leslie Emerson said.
CCS teacher Mike Mines, a former wilderness adventure trip leader, takes fourth graders on a river rafting trip on the Colorado River for four days each spring. In the fall, students hike and rock climb in the Colorado or Dinosaur national monuments as they begin a study of dinosaurs. Eighth graders spend up to seven days on expeditions on the Green or Colorado rivers.
“Reading about dinosaurs and how their fossils are found and studied by paleontologists pales in comparison to seeing an actual dig or experiencing sedimentary geology firsthand floating through a river canyon,” Mines said.
Educators say the natural wonders close at home in the Roaring Fork Valley provide for rich outdoor educational opportunities.
Diana Kruis, who teaches physical science and the Riverwatch class at Basalt High School, said tactile and visual learning increases student interest. Kruis takes her geology students to view fossils in the mancos shale rock layers at the base of Mount Sopris.
“Instead of reading about it in a book, they can pick it up and look at it,” Kruis said. “We live in such a geologically rich area; it’s a great place to study the geologic history visually in the strata. We can go up the Seven Castles along the Fryingpan River and view five layers of geologic history.”
Environmental expertise among teachers
The RFSD is often blessed with teachers with strong backgrounds in outdoor education and environmental sciences.
Glenwood Springs High School science instructor Scott Nykerk spent five years as an aquatic biologist for the DOW and worked in the Solomon Islands for three years with the Peace Corps. Nykerk created a new ecology and field biology course at the high school. His students learn field sampling techniques and study local ecosystems to learn about concepts such as population dynamics.
At the RFSD’s own riverfront environmental education center, donated to the district by a local family, classes can work on everything from listening skills to team-building activities.
“The Re-1 outdoor ed site is a great way to spend time with your students on a different level than in your school classroom. I’ve already noticed a deeper sense of camaraderie, inclusion and interaction among the students,” noted Carbondale Elementary School third-grade teacher Andrea Chacos.
Local educators say every level of young learner can benefit in many ways from outdoor education programs, from increased interest in physical fitness to literacy. Students at Bridges High School are often inspired to read about their outdoor adventures in rock climbing, backpacking and whitewater rafting.
“Many of them remark that it’s the first time they were excited about reading because they’re reading things that are interesting to them and applicable to their lives,” Bridges teacher Michael Schneiter said.
Teachers say they hope their outdoor education offerings will spark students’ interest in active learning and foster a lifelong respect and stewardship of the environment and the Roaring Fork Valley.
— Suzie Romig is the public information officer for the Roaring Fork School District.
Environmental and outdoor education is offered in the Roaring Fork School District from Glenwood Springs to Basalt, taught by district teachers or presented in cooperation with local governmental and environmental organizations.
Fourth graders tour Ruedi Reservoir to learn about water distribution and healthy rivers, and seventh graders trek up Mount Sopris to learn about orienteering skills and how to work in a group toward a challenging goal.
High school science students in all three communities can sign up for the popular Riverwatch class and learn how to monitor local streams, and teachers can take their students on site to the district’s longtime Carr/Parr Outdoor Recreation Facility located along the Roaring Fork River.
“Outdoor education is alive and well in the RFSD,” assistant superintendent Judy Haptonstall said. “Programs ranging from Riverwatch to trips to Rock Bottom Ranch serve to provide students with experiences outside the classroom walls.”
Basalt Elementary School first-grade teacher Shawn Rios goes outside the classroom to teach her class of English and Spanish speakers. The young students visit Cross Orchards living history farm in Grand Junction to learn about life in the early 1900s. The first graders go on nature hunts and learn how animals and plants prepare for winter at the Maroon Bells through the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies.
“Outdoor education trips provide a hands-on, meaningful experience that reach a variety of learners,” Rios said.
Environmental professionals active in teaching
Each year, district students learn from environmental professionals in the local community, such as educators from ACES, the Colorado Division of Wildlife, the U.S. Forest Service, the Roaring Fork Conservancy in Basalt and Earthsense in Carbondale. The organizations offer monthly environmental science classes and special field trips.
“Development of ACES’ in-school and field programs are a response to parent, teacher and school board interest that natural sciences and ecological literacy be part of their children’s education,” said Holly Hannaway, ACES education director.
Local students can take trips to ACES’ Rock Bottom Ranch Wildlife Preserve, located along the Roaring Fork River between Basalt and Carbondale, to learn about organic gardens, domestic livestock, and wild animals from elk to eagle, beaver to bobcat.
The nonprofit Roaring Fork Conservancy is very active in the school district, providing everything from nature walks for seventh graders to weekly education programs for elementary students. The students are outside exploring, which is generally what kids do best, said Tim O’Keefe, conservancy education director.
“The coolest thing is when you have those ‘wow’ moments when you see the kids’ faces light up about what they are experiencing. Those are the priceless moments where kids are making connections between the classroom and outside,” O’Keefe said.
Up close with fish
Working with the DOW, elementary and middle school students get the chance to raise endangered river fish through the Classroom Aquarium Program.
“Each year teachers use the aquariums to help teach statistics, language arts, math, Colorado history, art and other content subjects,” explained Stan Johnson, DOW western Colorado education coordinator. “In the spring, students will tag their fish and release them into a Colorado River drainage.”
Glenwood Springs Middle School teacher Megan Dean takes her Peak students to catch macro-invertebrates, also known as bugs, from flies to worms to leeches, in a study of Mitchell Creek. Working with the conservancy, the students conduct chemical tests on the water, measure turbidity and survey erosion.
Dean said the river trips and stream trailer activities are “fantastic experiences for the kids.”
“Making learning meaningful through real-life experiences is one of the things that all teachers strive to give their students,” Dean said. “Real learning is not through the regurgitation of facts.”
Direct experience more meaningful
Certain schools place extra emphasis on outdoor education as an important part of the curriculum. At the district’s charter kindergarten through eighth-grade Carbondale Community School, the physical education teacher also coordinates outdoor programs from overnight group camping to rock climbing on Independence Pass.
“Taking a student out of a familiar environment and into the out-of-doors builds self-confidence and reliance, teamwork and communication skills and extends the classroom curriculum into an applied environment,” CCS Principal Leslie Emerson said.
CCS teacher Mike Mines, a former wilderness adventure trip leader, takes fourth graders on a river rafting trip on the Colorado River for four days each spring. In the fall, students hike and rock climb in the Colorado or Dinosaur national monuments as they begin a study of dinosaurs. Eighth graders spend up to seven days on expeditions on the Green or Colorado rivers.
“Reading about dinosaurs and how their fossils are found and studied by paleontologists pales in comparison to seeing an actual dig or experiencing sedimentary geology firsthand floating through a river canyon,” Mines said.
Educators say the natural wonders close at home in the Roaring Fork Valley provide for rich outdoor educational opportunities.
Diana Kruis, who teaches physical science and the Riverwatch class at Basalt High School, said tactile and visual learning increases student interest. Kruis takes her geology students to view fossils in the mancos shale rock layers at the base of Mount Sopris.
“Instead of reading about it in a book, they can pick it up and look at it,” Kruis said. “We live in such a geologically rich area; it’s a great place to study the geologic history visually in the strata. We can go up the Seven Castles along the Fryingpan River and view five layers of geologic history.”
Environmental expertise among teachers
The RFSD is often blessed with teachers with strong backgrounds in outdoor education and environmental sciences.
Glenwood Springs High School science instructor Scott Nykerk spent five years as an aquatic biologist for the DOW and worked in the Solomon Islands for three years with the Peace Corps. Nykerk created a new ecology and field biology course at the high school. His students learn field sampling techniques and study local ecosystems to learn about concepts such as population dynamics.
At the RFSD’s own riverfront environmental education center, donated to the district by a local family, classes can work on everything from listening skills to team-building activities.
“The Re-1 outdoor ed site is a great way to spend time with your students on a different level than in your school classroom. I’ve already noticed a deeper sense of camaraderie, inclusion and interaction among the students,” noted Carbondale Elementary School third-grade teacher Andrea Chacos.
Local educators say every level of young learner can benefit in many ways from outdoor education programs, from increased interest in physical fitness to literacy. Students at Bridges High School are often inspired to read about their outdoor adventures in rock climbing, backpacking and whitewater rafting.
“Many of them remark that it’s the first time they were excited about reading because they’re reading things that are interesting to them and applicable to their lives,” Bridges teacher Michael Schneiter said.
Teachers say they hope their outdoor education offerings will spark students’ interest in active learning and foster a lifelong respect and stewardship of the environment and the Roaring Fork Valley.
— Suzie Romig is the public information officer for the Roaring Fork School District.
