Article Contributed on: 10/13/2009 9:17:01 AM
There is a reason Jefferson County School District calls the one-week program for sixth graders Outdoor Lab. Most of the curriculum takes place outside at the Windy Peak or Mt. Evans sites, which are located in Bailey and Evergreen respectively.
Mike Woolworth, a former teacher at Kullerstrand Elementary in Wheat Ridge, has been the curriculum specialist on site for four years.
He said classes range from living history with docents who act out different parts of the history of the area, to classes in geology, forestry, archery and the solar system.
Last week Pleasant View and Mitchell Elementary students from Golden visited Mt. Evans, while students from Devinny in Lakewood, visited Windy Peaks.
The fee for kids to attend the week-long school site is $199, however the district makes sure all kids in sixth grade can attend regardless of ability to pay. It costs about $400 per child with staffing/utilities according to principal Sandy Craig.
"The district's general fund covers the rest of the cost and no Jeffco
child can be denied the right to attend OELS for disability or inability to pay....the district covers about 20 percent free and reduced kiddos full cost for OELS," Craig said.
Mieklejohn Elementary principal Kurt Braginetz said his school's class would go with neighboring school Van Arsdale the week of Nov. 2. Schools pair up for the week with the numbers in attendance ranging from 100 to 120.
Woolworth and Mt. Evans principal Sandy Craig live at the site.
Part of the program allows high school and college students to get credit for being interns at a ratio of 10 students to one intern. High school students are there for a week, whereas college students may attend for a semester on a stipend. The schools are open during the school calendar. In addition to school staff, there are two site managers who keep the roads open and a clinic aide.
The interns are frequently former students who have been through the program and want to return. Woolworth said the site is rented by the school district when not in use by schools to help with funding for interns.
Kurt Braginetz, who has been with the district for 31 years, said, "There is nothing better than to learn about wildlife in this setting. The value is in knowing that learning can take place anywhere. It's a well-planned curriculum. We have some of the largest telescopes in the state," said Braginetz.
Last week a ceremony dedicated the installation of a walking solar system tour donated by Lockheed Martin. The outdoor kiosks provide information about each planet and were designed to help students visualize the scale and planetary relationships of the solar system.
Jeanette Alberg, manager of community relations at Lockheed Martin said the company had been working on the project in partnership with businesses and the school for several years.
Braginetz said, "Outdoor Lab is an opportunity for high school leaders to teach and friendships to be made. It's a way for kids to be on their own away from home. Their sleeping bags never look the same after a trip to Outdoor Lab."
Pleasant View principal Scott Capron remembers going to Outdoor Lab when he was a student.
"It's a great experience, especially for kids who don't get up to the mountains,"
Capron said.
Woolworth said because kids come prepared for elements, the only thing that would force them inside was lightning.
For more information about Outdoor Lab schools, visit www.jeffcopublicschools.org.