The Applegater

Applegater Spring 2018 23 NEXT GENERATION Next Generation features school news and updates and the talents of our local students. All schools in the Applegate Valley are encouraged to submit news, art, writing, photography, and any other creative pieces to gater@applegater.org. Ruch Outdoor Community School Activities and community support at Applegate and Williams schools Ruch Outdoor Community School is preparing for its end-of-the-year field trip to Yosemite National Park. Eighth-grade students will be visiting lakes Almanor and Tahoe on June 5, then Hodgdon Meadow in Yosemite on July 6 -7, and the Trinity Alps near Mt. Shasta for the last two nights. is trip underscores the school's sustainability curriculum and supports the pedagogy of place-based education. e Yosemite and Northern California Field Study will expose students to a new and fascinating region of the Pacific Northwest, introduce them to patterns of life-long learning through deliberate inquiry, present them with an experiential and engaging educational process, and reinforce science concepts taught in the classroom. We hope that, in ten years, they will look back on this trip and remember what they have learned. With guidance from staff, students will make the bulk of preparations for the trip. In addition to learning about basic ecology, natural history, and current land-use issues in class, students will plan and shop for the menu, research driving and hiking routes, set a rough itinerary for the trip, and conduct fundraising activities to cover over half of the trip's expenses. is will promote a natural buy-in and ownership by the students. Staff will implement student activities and lessons in the field several times a day, and students will record their observations, activities, and lessons in a field journal. Ever y other Friday, eighth-grade students venture into the great outdoors on hikes to learn about the local bioregion as well as attain the peak fitness level for the Yosemite field trip. Hikes will take place at Applegate Lake, Jacksonville Woodlands, East Applegate Ridge Trail, Sterling Mine Ditch, Forest Park, and Grizzly Peak Trail. Life becomes exponentially richer when we step out of our daily routine to experience something novel. For many of the students at Ruch, travel to different parts of the world remains a dream of the future. While we do not have the funds to take students abroad, they may learn many of the same lessons and garner many of the same experiences by traveling to different biomes in the United States. Northern California is unique because it offers three distinct biomes: subalpine, temperature forests, and taiga. Prior to and throughout the trip, students will be engaged in a natural science and social science-based curriculum, developed by the science teacher at Ruch School. Students will become familiar with the history of land-use practices (from the Native American era forward) as well as the conservation movements that developed in the twentieth century. is curriculum will be applied to studies in the field as students explore and learn about biodiversity, ecological balances, biotic and abiotic factors, and the contemporary complexity of natural resource management and wilderness protection (with guest speakers from the National Park Service and local rock climbers). From this experience, students will gain a greater appreciation for public wild areas and the recreation activities made available by them. Students will be able to apply the concepts they learn about on this trip to forestry issues and the effects of a changing climate in the state of Oregon and throughout the Pacific Northwest. e eighth graders are excited to be able to experience a very special opportunity! Ryan King, Eighth-grade Teacher Lori Yates, Eighth-grade Student Ruch Outdoor Community School ryan.king@medford.k12.or.us Eighth graders at Ruch Outdoor Community School prepare for a field trip to Yosemite National Park this summer. Photo: Ryan King. Applegate and Williams schools both started the new year with resolution, d o n a t i o n s , a n d o t h e r financial support. Provolt Store donated $500 to each school in their resolve to do something to benefit the community. Applegate School news Applegate School has a 24 x 32 foot greenhouse i n p r o g r e s s b e c a u s e o f t h e g e n e r o s i t y o f Jo h n and Carrie DiBiasi, who donated all the materials and labor for the project. Beginning this spring the greenhouse will be used to grow native milkweeds to support the monarch butterfly population. For Applegate School's Book Fair, the Applegate Fire Department, Southern Oregon Crane, and Jeff Vinyard donated funds to provide needy children with free books. Applegate School's girls basketball program began in January. Both the varsity and junior varsity teams play games on Mondays and ursdays each week. A L e v e l O n e t e a m from Applegate School is preparing to participate in the Oregon Battle of the Books competition in March. A g r o u p o f m i d d l e schoolers at Applegate School has been participating in Book Club since September. For Open House in the spring, they will present a display of various projects that arose from the Book Club discussions. Book Club members include Aerawyn Willson, Coral Lowry, Hunter Krouse, Lexi Hill, Lily Emmons, Maria Cross, Sierra Fimbres, and Tyler DeMaster. In January the Applegate School staff announced the Rotary Students of the Year. Recipients of this year's awards are Maria Cross, grade eight, and Max Vidlak, grade five. Maria and Max spoke at the Rotary Club luncheon on February 14, when they were presented with their awards. Mrs. Halstead's second- and third- grade class at Applegate School had the most participation in the Applegate Fire District's fire-safety activity and were rewarded with a visit to the district's headquarters on January 24. Students enjoyed lunch with some of the firefighters, got "rescued" by firefighters in full gear, checked out all the vehicles, and even participated in a medical response call. Fifth grader Hailey West was selected to represent Applegate School at the March 26 Future Chef 's cook-off event at Hidden Valley High School. There she will be competing at the district level with her Asian fusion food recipe. Applegate School's eighth graders have begun to hold fundraising events for their class trip to Great Wolf Lodge Resort in Grand Mound, Washington, in June. e first fundraiser, a taco feed, was held on Some past, present, and future Art & Nature After School students stand in the entrance of Applegate School's new greenhouse, which will soon be ready to grow milkweed for monarchs and other plants for pollinators. Front row, from left to right: Corbin Sharp-Thompson, Zeyna DiBiasi, Claire Emmons, and Hamza DiBiasi. Back row, from left to right: Sierra Fimbres, Lily Emmons, and Aiden Fimbres. Applegate School basketball team, from left to right. Front row: Claire Emmons, Hailey Traister, and Christina Geary. Middle row: Maria Cross, Zeyna DiBiasi, Freyja Moeves, Rachel Peterson, and Izabella Haning. Back row: Coach Diana Traister, Natalia Sahr, Lily Emmons, Sierra Fimbres, Kali Linn, and assistant coach Lexi Hill. (Not pictured: Abigale Sutton and Autumn Koch.) Rotary Student of the Year was awarded to Max Vidlak, fifth grade, and Maria Cross, eighth grade. January 29. Hidden Valley Market in Murphy donated most of the ingredients for this event. Williams School news Williams School received a $35,000 grant from Southern Oregon Early Learning Hub to start a preschool. On February 5, two teachers and 20 children began a half-day preschool program. e goal is to better prepare students, both socially and academically, for kindergarten. Cow Creek funded an after-school arts program that started in December for Williams School. A spring performance is scheduled for May. The second after-school six-week enrichment program at Williams School began February 5. Last fall 25 students participated in the program, which included artistic and athletic activities as well as snacks and homework assistance. Jean Hall • jhall80@juno.com Photos by Linda Kappen. Applegate resident on Dean's List Central Oregon Community College announced that Applegate resident Samantha Bango has qualified for the Dean's List. Samantha is enrolled in 12 or more graded credits and received a term grade point average of 3.6 or better. Congratulations, Samantha!

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