Some of us are past camp counselors. Some of us are artists. Some of us are biologists, and some of are simply lovers of nature. Whatever type of person our instructors may have been before High Trails, we are all youth and outdoor educators. Something that I have learned from my time working at High […]
It used to be that My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas. Alas, pizza is no longer for dinner. It was 2006 when Pluto was demoted from our solar system’s 9th planet and renamed a dwarf planet (or more accurately a “pluton”) by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). The mnemonic we all memorized […]
“You know everything, you’re a teacher!” In my 15+ years of teaching, I have heard that too many times to count. Know everything? No way…just the other day my knowledge came into question. I was tagging along with a student group hiking out to Jenks Lake. The instructor was stopping every so often to show […]
Tom Brown Jr., a famous tracker and naturalist, said, “We learned to be patient observers like the owl. We learned cleverness from the crow, and courage from the jay, who will attack an owl ten times its size to drive it off its territory. But above all of them ranked the chickadee because of its […]
…when I look up it’s not my father’s quirky smile or his customary cut-off jeans and white socks to his knees, instead it is a… I sit on the rocky river bank watching the orange glow of the sun sink behind the hills as I wait for my father’s old legs to catch up to […]
Last summer, I accepted a new position at High Trails as Program Coordinator. At the time, I was unclear exactly what that meant. Honestly, as we moved forward in the school year, I was still unsure as to what my job description was. It was a new position which stemmed from the Program Director position, but was […]
There are 8,240 species of reptiles in the world, inhabiting every continent except Antarctica. Though our students seldom see them because of their timid nature, reptiles of different shapes and sizes inhabit many parts of our forest. If you’re lucky, though, you might get to see some of our tinier friends dashing from bush to rock […]
The 2008 summer Olympics in Beijing, China took place during the region’s rainy season – yet during the opening ceremony there was not a cloud in the sky and the multi-week event was nearly free from rain. Was China just lucky? China wasn’t lucky; they were prepared. The day before the opening ceremony, as a […]
I am one of three Medic Coordinators at High Trails, which, in a nutshell, means I am in charge of student health and safety for the duration of a school’s stay here. At 23 years old, I am the youngest of the High Trails administrators, in addition to being one of the youngest people on […]
Max is one of those guys whose quirky sense of humor and far reaching smile instantly lights up a classroom. But right now, three days after the start of new staff training at High Trails, he’s super nervous and fumbling for words. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about, and everyone can tell. Even worse […]
A little while back I got a call from another local outdoor school asking if they could come talk to us and pick our brains to help them figure out some of their current staffing and scheduling issues. The cynical and business-minded side of me thought “Why would we want to share our success with […]
A couple of weeks ago Dan Bowman and I were walking from Camp Edwards to Camp Nawakwa after a lovely night of playing music with some fellow High Trails musicians. He commented that this school year, he’s noticed that we, in this little community of outdoor educators, hug each other more than we have in […]
I hold up my radio and beckon to the kids in the back, urging them to listen to the crackly voice emanating from the speaker. It’s almost time for switchover, when the kids will join their field instructors for the day, and all the cabin groups are clumped in the open area in front of […]
While teaching astronomy it is inevitable that some student will ask me if there is life some where else in our universe, and I have to answer “I don’t know”. What we do know is that there is a part of the science community dedicated to looking for other planets outside our solar system and […]
The Coordinator is an active manager of daily operations, ensuring that the program runs smoothly and efficiently. The Program Coordinator provides a vision, plan, and leadership for program development, training, and performing evaluation on staff. Here at High Trails we have 4 coordinators and 2 program coordinators. These coordinators make sure operations run smoothly so […]
In my ninth week as a new instructor, I’ve learned quite a bit from my students. For one, not to underestimate their ability to adapt. I’m somewhat ashamed to say that I was surprised when students who seemed impossibly homesick didn’t go home. I didn’t expect students who were afraid of our dark cabin on […]
Peanuuut… Peanut Butter, AND JELLY! To some this maybe just a simple children’s song but for others, including my sister Heidi, it can cause her to have a panic attack. My niece Annabelle has a severe peanut allergy which has totally changed how her family eats and where they can go. My niece was diagnosed […]
In a game of tag with 12 year old boys, one of my students picks up a stick and tries to “tag” another child with it. I stop them all with a “freeze” command put in place before the game started and try to explain why tagging people with sticks is a very bad idea. […]
On November 7th, 2009, I made my way to the summit of Springer Mountain, Georgia, ready to begin my Appalachian Trail through hike. The plaque there read: “Appalachian Trail: A Footpath for Those who seek Fellowship with the Wilderness.” After one million steps and five months later, I completed the 2,200-mile long hike that wound […]
A hot day in a small, rural village. Three riders approach bearing news that a gang of thieves and marauders are quickly approaching. These riders, these… three amigos have pledged to help the townsfolk defend themselves. “What is it you do really well?” asks one of the riders. “Hmmm.” The people look around at their […]
The sun was setting behind the peaks of the Sierra Nevada. The sky was turning from blue to pink and purple and alpenglow turned the eastern peaks golden as I walked down to a serene lake in the backcountry of Kings Canyon National Park after a day of volunteer work with the National Park Service. […]
It was Thursday afternoon and the last full day of training as I wandered around the forest looking for a strong, curved branch to use as a bow for my bowdrill. My eyes filled with tears and I was pretty sure that I was never going to find one good enough or be able to […]
When I was 18 I sat in a mandatory economics class and listened to my sweet elderly teacher say that “when making a decision, you must consider two things—‘how much does it cost’, and ‘what’s in it for me?’” It was at this moment, essentially, that I decided to become an environmental educator. I was […]
One question I always ask my students during our Water Wonders class is; “Where does our water come from?” Some students initially respond with; “The faucet!” or, “A lake!” but when I probe them further they answer with, “The Colorado River.” And, for the majority of our students, this is true. But, my favorite response […]
“Wait, you don’t have a TV?” My students’ mouths are agape. “Nope,” I cheerily reply. “So… you don’t watch TV at all?” “Nope,” I say again with a little smile. In their eyes I am suddenly an alien, and I’m okay with it. Their jaws are fully on the ground. “So… what do you do?” […]
Maybe we did learn everything we needed to know in Kindergarten. Being a good teacher means being a good person, but, despite the simplicity of an idea like honesty, it is incredibly difficult to embody “goodness.” We have a tendency to try and think our way out of situations; since the invention of the wheel, […]
Here at High Trails, it is apparent to us that most of our students have had no real contact with nature before their experience with us. One of my students recently commented that the trees, freshly adorned with vibrant clumps of snow, looked like high-definition TV. This viewpoint is a common one among our students, […]
At the end of each week, we have our students individually answer a few questions about their time at High Trails. Students share what they learned and evaluate us, their instructors, on our performance. The question that I am perhaps most interested in, the last question on the form, asks what they will remember in […]
I’m not afraid to admit that I am a big science nerd; especially when it comes to astronomy! I have been at High Trails for more than a season now, and I have to say that my favorite class that I am privileged to teach is definitely Astronomy. Astronomy classes are spread out over a […]
I’ve seen outdoor education take many forms throughout the United States. We cowered from the snow and smog in a wigwam and tried to make fire with bow drills in Brooklyn Park in New York City. The students learned independence from the big city, as it bustled around them. We cored apples and made our […]
When we drive up to the beach the parking lot is empty. It is also covered in about an inch of snow. Stepping out of the car a cold, unfriendly wind steals the curls of my hair out from under the fleece of my hat. Like some sort of intrepid artic explorers we trudge forward […]
One of the best and defining parts of an outdoor science school is that nature is our textbook and our classroom. Our students don’t sit at desks reading paragraphs aloud from a textbook and then demonstrate comprehension by flipping back through the chapter looking for definitions of key words to copy on to a worksheet. […]
Throughout the past few years, the prominence in which environmentalism has taken within our daily lives cannot be easily disputed. Reusable materials, such as grocery bags and coffee mugs, run abundant and recycling cans stand more evident throughout businesses and streets than ever. “Being green”, as many have come to term this way of life, […]
The relationship between art and nature may not be apparent to everyone, but art and the environment have been linked together as far back as the days of Plato and Aristotle when aesthetics was connected to the beauty of our surrounding and the natural world. Much of the artwork created around this time period had […]
Did you know that there is an organism on this planet, which covers 3.4 square miles, and has been growing for over 2,000 years! It spreads mostly underground, growing unchecked in the Malheur National Forest in the Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon. Scientists did not fully understand its greatness until they began to investigate why […]
I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people. -Mahatma Gandhi Throughout the years I have had the opportunity to lead a variety of groups ranging from students to peers. Figuring out exactly how to communicate to your peers as an administrator can be a delicate task. Thankfully […]
1. Waterproof everything you own from head to toe. 2. Borrow a sled from a coworker. 3. Purchase snow chains for your car. 4. Spend at least one day on Bear and Summit. 5. Take a daytrip to Redlands, visit H&E Thrif t Shop, and buy yourself an ugly, yet warm wool sweater. 6. Don’t […]
At High Trails Outdoor Science School we teach thousands of students from over 100 schools each year. High Trails students learn hands-on about their environment and themselves in small groups with students from outside their normal class in school. While this is a great learning opportunity, it presents a unique challenge for our instructors. High […]
…Said my grandfather as all four of my cousins and I finally piled into the car for the drive down to the Texas coast for the weekend. Packing for these trips, which we took on a regular basis, hardly ever went according to the plan, was never a smooth or timely process, but spending the […]
What is High Trails? It’s a place where schools send their students for a week in the woods, where they go on hikes, learn how to do archery, and sleep in cabins. It sounds a lot like summer camp. But there’s something that makes High Trails different, and if you’ve made it this far on […]
Prior to coming to High Trails I was a classroom teacher. I started my full time teaching career as a middle school science teacher and was very excited about sharing the subject I am passionate about with my students. My first couple of years were pretty disheartening because not only were most of my days […]
One of the first things you will notice walking into our dining hall is the “Food is Love” board. On this wood carved board are three sections detailing what we are eating, what we waste, and a funny riddle to occupy young minds during the meal. Through my time as an instructor, cook and now […]
All too often I hear these words uttered by friends, family, and strangers. Here at High Trails, we lead an interesting and unique lifestyle. We laugh until our stomachs hurt, live and work in the mountains, dress in outrageous costumes at work, sing while cleaning the toilets, find things other than television to occupy our […]
A master’s degree is an advanced academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice. Earning a Master’s degree requires hard work, passion, and dedication. The financial obligation and time commitment needed for one to two years of […]
Each week at High Trails, we get bus loads of students. All of them leave High Trails with something. We hope that it is a new appreciation of the world around them — the people, natural systems, and communities that they have either never seen before, or never fully recognized and appreciated before. However, while […]
Largely put together by staff member Laura Cerrato, here’s an old fashioned, printable field guide full of all the animals, plants, rocks and things you might find in our neck of the woods.
Remember CA Assembly Bill 165? The very real, and very scary, piece of legislation that says schools cannot ask a student to pay for anything, because their education should be free? From the written law itself….“This bill would prohibit a school district, school, or other entity…from imposing a pupil fee, as defined, for participation in […]
At High Trails, astronomy class is one of our most popular courses with our students. We field countless amounts of questions about the universe because 5th and 6th graders are so interested. Questions about how planets form are commonly asked, but the truth is, even scientists know very little about his subject. Catching the formation […]
Imagine it’s your first time in California. You’ve traveled to the mountains of southern California, at least thirty minutes from any town or city, and moved into a community of 50 people whom you’ve never met. You have finally gotten through the grueling two week training process and guess what? It’s time to take the […]
Last week I had a student who tried as hard as he could to answer any question he could with a reference to the car company Bugatti. I would be teaching about the importance of conserving fossil fuels, and he was thinking about a car that gets 13 mpg on the highway and 3 mpg […]
