Incoming Clover Park Freshmen Become One With Nature

For a group of incoming high school students, it was about building confidence, team camaraderie and learning about nature.

A select group of incoming freshmen at completed a four-week Warrior Academy program over the course of the summer. It was capped off with a five-day trip to Olympic Park Institute on the Olympic Peninsula in August through a partnership with NatureBridge.

NatureBridge is, according to its website, a nonprofit organization aimed to lead the way in residential field science and environmental education for America's youth. It serves about 108 schools a year, 15 of which are high schools at the NatureBridge campus in Olympic National Park. Kristen Emmett, field science educator with NatureBridge, said she worked closely with a group of 11 students from Lakewood, all of whom were English Language Learners.

"Our mission is to connect youth with the natural world and under-served populations that don't have access," Emmett said. "I was impressed with how enthusiastic they were and engaged. There was a lot of natural curiosity."

Emmett said some of the focuses were scientific inquiry, making observations and forming a question. She broke her group into pairs and they conducted stream surveys and more.

"It's really a more direct way of learning the scientific concepts," Emmett said.

The trip was the final phase of the Warrior Academy, a series of in-school activities in reading, writing and math for incoming high school students, particularly those who need extra support.

It's the fifth year Clover Park High School students have engaged in outdoor science experiments and other recreational activities with  NatureBridge. About 70 incoming Clover Park freshmen visited Olympic Park Institute earlier this month.

About 42 percent of the kids in the program receive services through special education or ELL, according to Rebecca Byrd, a guidance counselor at Clover Park High School.

"The kids do a lot of hands-on learning about science in the outdoors," said Byrd, who joined the group of students on the nature trip. "They learn a lot about being stewards of the earth. It's a really good experience."

Students conduct water samples, check pH balance, and talk about how people have affected nature, Byrd said. Along with learning, students went on canoe trips on Lake Crescent, hiked two miles up Mount Stormking and shared all the experiences related to camping leading up to the first day of school (Sept. 7).

Local educators hope those types of skills will translate into greater academic succcess and a more positive experience at the high school level.

Byrd said the Warriors Academy is important because one of the biggest transitions is from middle to high school. She said the program is geared toward providing extra support, to meet their teachers and engage in activities.

"The new challenges of hiking, canoeing and equipment can be generalized to high school," Byrd said. "New teachers, friends and people. That whole week encapsulates what we're trying to get kids to learn."