Milestones
Vol. 2, Issue 1 September 2008
Vol. 2, Issue 1 September 2008
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Milestones
Vol. 2, Issue 1 September 2008 |
| Message from the Director | |||||||||
Friends, Thank you for being a part of our incredible
journey! Executive Director e-mail: jonathan@sierranevadajourneys.org
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| President's Notes: A Successful Spring & Summer! | ||||||||||
| Blasting
off water rockets … swimming and kayaking in Lake Tahoe … backpacking
and clearing
brush to
perform maintenance work on the Tahoe Rim Trail … teaching teachers how
to better engage their students! These are just a few of the many
activities in which more than
1,500
SNJ students have participated in the past few months. The
variety
of science enrichment and experiential education programs have given
opportunities to students to explore their world and how it
works.
Below you will read about the multitude of programs we have offered.
Here is a summary. Our residential program has offered 9 weeks so
far
and has another seven weeks planned for fall. Our school programs
have
included Adventure
Science Club, Earth
to Sky Day Camp,
Walking our Watershed, and Classrooms Unleashed, and a new High School
program. We are very excited about our women in science and leadership
program that not only offered an afterschool program for middle school
aged girls, but also spent several days backbacking on the Tahoe Rim
Trail. We have also been providing education for teachers and others
through hosting the Lamoille Institute For Educators conference,
co-sponsoring the "Our Places Tell Stories Conference", and hosting the
Tahoe Environmental Literacy Summit coming in October. We have big plans for the winter and next year. Ted Oleson President | ||||||||||
 On October 10th, 2008 the “blue Grass Roots Roundup” sponsored by Nevada Outdoor School (NOS) and Sierra Nevada Journeys (SNJ) is being held at the Governor’s Mansion in Carson City from 5pm-9pm. This event will showcase and promote outdoor education programs in Northern Nevada and California. This event will be promoted to over 2,000 individuals and business; we are expecting 500+ participants. The event includes a free dinner, drinks and music with a suggested donation per plate, and a fundraising raffle and a silent auction. NOS and SNJ are both 501(c) 3 non-profit organizations who directly serve 15,000 students each year in Nevada and California. Many of these programs are offered free of charge to youth who otherwise would not be able to participate. These organizations are the top two outdoor educators in the Nevada and Northern California, serving as sustainable models for outdoor education in the country. Their programs show increased science scores with participation in inquiry based science learning and provide an opportunity for students to engage in meaningful, service learning projects. For more information, call 355-1688 or visit http://www.nevadaoutdoorschool.org/BGRR.html |
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| Programs | ||||||||||
| Upcoming Programs 2008-2009 | Residential Programs | |||||||||
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Hi Friends! ChickPea
here, checking in at the end of three PHENOMENAL back to back to back
residential seasons! So far this year, we’ve been able to serve over 1000
students since February! And whether they came from Carson City, Minden, Reno,
or Lake Tahoe, they all had a blast! Our winter
program smoothly slid into the end of April thanks to all of our friends and snow
up at Clair Tappaan Lodge! We built snow forts, learned about lichen, and summited
the great Sierra’s in our snowshoes! April came and
showered us with an AMAZING opportunity to work and wander with the Nevada
Department of Environmental Protection (NDEP)!
With our new and exciting “Walking Our Watershed” program, teachers and
students from 8 classrooms and 3 after school programs got to learn about our
local watershed and how we can negatively and positively influence it. May
blossomed into a great spring season at Grizzly Creek Ranch just 40 minutes
from Reno. We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful place to facilitate our
Journeys Outdoor School! The students and teachers were blown away when they
saw the view from the top of our all day hike. In addition, our staff had a
wonderful time facilitating program on 1500 acres of beautiful yellow pine
forest! Summer
rolled right in and we had the great opportunity to play up at Lake Tahoe for a
couple weeks, head back to Clair Tappaan, and finish up our program back at
Grizzly Creek Ranch. I can’t tell you how fortunate and lucky we have been to
get some really amazing staff and volunteers! This summer we instituted a new
teen program for 16-18 years olds called “Teen Leadership Institute”. This
program allows teens to come to camp and gain leadership experience as a cabin
leader and then they get to be a part of our Youth Backcountry Camp program in
July. Everyone involved is really excited and we can’t wait to get some of
these young people back again! Looking
forward into the rest of 2008, we are excited about getting Journeys Outdoor
School back up in full swing with 8 weeks of program up at GCR. Geodesic Domes,
The Lorax, Life and Death in the Forest… it doesn’t get better than this! Don’t
forget to keep updated on what we are doing at camp by checking out our blog at
http://sierranevadajourneys.blogspot.com .
Thanks! Bethany Steiner Director of Programs AKA ChickPea | |||||||||
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Confidence, Competence, and Connection
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McCarran Ranch Field Study for High School Students | |||||||||
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There are plans to expand this program in spring 2009 to accommodate
class sized groups.
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One schoolyard brimming with wilderness…check. Twelve girls ready to learn...check. Guts.
Brains. Check and check. With all of the ingredients in place for a
season of Wondrous Women of Science, it seems sad to say that it’s officially
over for the school year. Studying
everything from Geology to Watersheds to Climate Change, these girls did it
with the gusto and grace characteristic of professional athletes and skilled cupcake
eaters. And while they were busy
learning how to work together, problem solve, and explore their surroundings –
they managed to teach Sequoya and I a thing or two as well:
10.
Nature
names are a must
9. Never underestimate the power of the 7th grade girl 8. Passion counts! 7. Care comes before content and courage 6. A handful of students can blaze 225’ of trail in 4 hours 5. Role models matter 4. WWS notebooks are a place for math, art, history, writing, and science 3. Leave extra time for lizard chasing during Animal Signs 2. Girls love to get dirty 1. If you build it, they will come Thanks for a great first season, Wondrous Women of Science! We’re looking forward to slathering on the
sunscreen, taking it outside, and doing it all over again come next fall. -
Moss | Each time we step outside, new wonders and old curiosities
threaten to break out and bind us to our place.
It’s usually fairly easy to ignore.
Close the doors. Turn on the
TV. Walk fast and crank the music. All impossible actions to take in Lamoille
Canyon. At least this was the consensus
of the two dozen teachers from Reno and Carson City who spent the first week in
August exploring Nevada’s secret state treasure: the Ruby Mountains. Originally a misnomer for its abundance of
another semiprecious gem – garnets – these hills live up to their lofty title
once a day around sunset, lighting up the ridge like a kid at Christmas. But spend enough time in the Rubies and
something strange starts to happen. You
begin to see stars in the city and notice wildlife along the Truckee River
downtown. Peavine Mountain takes on an
impressive presence on the horizon and your students emit a glow that reminds you
of the canyon at dusk. Such are the
effects of LIFE, that is – the Lamoille Institute For Educators.
In its 3rd year of operation, LIFE harnesses the
wild and abiding call of outdoor education and molds it to fit today’s
classroom. Instruction in everything
from astronomy and water testing to journaling and orienteering, teachers come
out of the conference with a deep understanding about how to effectively bring
biotic and cultural communities into the classroom. Though the location is arguably different
from the instructors’ regular stomping grounds, one participant pointed out its
practical application for the local arena saying, “This conference has given me
the tools I need to get my students outdoors and peak their interest in science.” Other highlights included a trip to the
Spratlings’ local cattle ranch, an experience that provided insight into the
often misunderstood industry and gave teachers new eyes for educating about sustainable
resources. During the Summit Session,
teachers had the unique opportunity to participate in the initial planning
stages for Nevada’s own Environmental Literacy Plan – a set of guidelines that
will take root in our schools within the next few years. The week culminated in a project planning
workshop and the distribution of grants for these classroom initiatives. And when the teachers were asked if they
would return for a second year, we were met with a collective and resounding
YES. Next year at Lamoille, educators can expect a new assortment of hands-on activities, original field studies, teacher renewal and university credit, great food, and opportunities for classroom project grants. Not to mention the view.
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Vista Report | Nick Pretasky Joins SNJ | |||||||||
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The 1960’s were an eventful time. It was the era of Vietnam, flower children, and JFK. In 1962, our nation’s environmental consciousness took center stage with the publication of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring. Less well known was the new branch of government created in 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Volunteers In Service To America, or VISTA, was built to “get things done” and today – almost 50 years later – the story is still unfolding our little corner of the world. Carrying on the legacy of both LBJ and Rachel Carson, Sierra Nevada Journeys’ VISTAs have contributed their time and talent to our vision and work of empowering youth in the community. Coming from all corners of the country, our family of AmeriCorps VISTAs has taken on everything from teaching to networking to good old-fashioned fundraising. Kicking off the year with Summit Camp, Journeys Outdoor School, and Wondrous Women of Science, VISTAs have made it possible for SNJ to keep up with the growing need for experiential and place-based education in Reno. And with as much as SNJ has received from the VISTA partnership, the volunteers themselves also benefit from the experience. For some, the AmeriCorps year provides the proverbial x factor for future plans. VISTA Kristen Ashbaugh explains, “When I began VISTA, I thought I wanted to work in the Non-profit sector as a grant writer. Now, while I have a greater appreciation for those who give their time and skills to that profession, I realize that I am meant to be a teacher and will begin to pursue that path for myself.” Often, volunteers will choose to stay on with their host organization, and SNJ is no exception. VISTAs Joanna Furgiuele, Kristen Ashbaugh, and Josie Glassberg plan to continue with SNJ beyond their original term – either as VISTA volunteers or as paid employees. Truly a transformative partnership, SNJ’s connection with Americorps holds promise for more outstanding education, more program development, and more work worth doing. |
In July, Nick Pretasky resigned from the land of cheese, bratwurst, and the Green Bay Packers. Over the past ten years, Nick, has had the grand opportunities to paddle and hike with inner-city youth on the coast of Maine, work as a wilderness therapy guide in Oregon, and teach at a 6-8 middle school in Wisconsin. Nick holds two teaching certificates and brings a passion to help bridge the gap between our schools and the natural world. He comes to SNJ to serve as our new Director of Outreach in charge of our school programs and professional development. You can find him hanging off large rocks, kayaking through ocean waves, or watching his favorite Wisconsin sports team. Welcome Nick!! | |||||||||
| We need support! Our program fees cover less than 70% of the cost to run these programs. We rely on your support to help us continue to operate and make it affordable. We are committed to keeping our fees low and offering discounts and scholarships so that anyone can attend regardless of income. Our goal is to bring nature into the classroom and the classroom into nature for every child that wants to attend. Can you help? We need volunteers and financial support. Please see our webpage http://sierranevadajourneys.org/support.html to contact us or make an online donation |
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| Thank You | ||||||||||
We
couldn't do all this without the support of so many people and
organizations. SNJ has enjoyed overwhelming support. We
want to take this opportunity to say thank you to a few |
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