This year, Ruch Outdoor Community School (ROCS) is partnering with the Teton Science Schools (TSS) by joining The Place Network, a collaborative network of rural K-12 schools that connects learning and communities to increase student engagement, academic outcomes and community impact.  Alongside 21 other rural schools (see map below), ROCS will have access to sample curriculum, consulting and implementation, research to inform best practice, and assure school readiness in fully adopting the principles of place-based education.  

To learn more about how teachers and students are realizing these principles, read the article below published in the Winter 2022 Applegater newspaper written by first grade teacher, Kim Neiswanger.

As Place Network partners, schools and districts have the opportunity to immerse into a multi-year place-based
professional development experience.  This includes:

• On-site school visits
• Virtual workshops
• Shared online learning communities
• Model curriculum
• Leadership engagement

Last week, 6th grade students from Wilson Elementary School participated in the Ruch Outdoor Ed Experience.  

Students spent the first day at Ruch Outdoor Community School mastering archery skills, building nature shelters, and experimenting with hands-on fire models organized by Southern Oregon Fire Ecology Education.

On day 2, students traveled to Cantrall Buckley Park to engage in riparian lessons with the Applegate Partnership & Watershed Council.  Stations included macroinvertebrate sampling, stream water testing, salmon anatomy, and planting native willow clippings.  

The last day included a hike to the infamous Bigfoot Trap on Collings Mountain Trail near the Applegate Lake.  Rumors will circulate about a possible sighting, bizarre noises in the brush, or "ape-like" shadows roaming the hillside.  Whatever stories you hear, lots of fun was had as students dug into their place with a new appreciation for the natural world.

Thank you to all the volunteers, students and staff at Wilson Elementary School for a wonderful time!  See you next year!

Ruch Outdoor Community School (ROCS), a K-8 public school in the Medford School District, is continuing and expanding a multifaceted partnership with the Southern Oregon University Environmental Education (SOU EE) graduate program.  ROCS’s pedagogical approach of place-based education aligns well with the rich field-based opportunities offered by the SOU EE graduate program.  This school year, ROCS is inviting Jackson County Parks and the Applegate Partnership & Watershed Council to create the Southern Oregon Field School Collaborative.  By adding these agencies to the existing partnership, the Collaborative will further advance and widen both short-term and long-term goals leveraging unique characteristics of our rural bioregion and improving school connectedness to the surrounding community.  

There are a number of interested projects moving forward. 

First, Cantrall Buckley Park will serve as host site for day and residential programs offered through the Fall in the Field capstone project by the SOU EE graduate program.  One shared vision of the collaborative is to build permanent yurts at the park.  This will expand the usability for park patrons, as well as summer youth camps and ad hoc education programs for students in southern Oregon.  Educational programs will have access to riparian areas, forests, and hiking trails.  Lessons will align with Next Generation Science Standards and fulfill Oregon Department of Education requirements relating to outdoor school. 

Second, ROCS will sponsor SOU EE graduate students as they complete practicum credits in the winter and spring terms.  Duties may include coordinating outreach with community organizations and assisting teachers with curriculum that focuses on place-based education. 

Finally, ROCS recently completed the participant application for the Adopt A Park program at Cantrall Buckley Park.  K-12 students in the Medford School District will participate in hands-on projects along the riparian zones with the Applegate Partnership & Watershed Council. 

Schools can still register here for outdoor school day programs in the Applegate Valley, which will expand under the Southern Oregon Field School Collaborative as we enter the 2022-23 school year.

Ruch Outdoor Community School is starting the 2021-22 school year off with all classes traveling to White Oak Farm for outdoor education field experiences.  This fall, students have enjoyed interacting with farm animals, working in teams to reinforce on-site buildings using natural resources, and digging into the yearly rotation of produce grown at the farm.  

White Oak Farm offers a table during school lunch to give students fresh fruits and vegetables from the farm.  Extra produce is put in front of the school at dismissal time for families to bring home.  In addition to the tabling, White Oak Farm works directly with the Rural Schools Learning Coordinator to design and deliver garden-based lessons for all K-8 students every week at the Ruch School Garden.  These lessons extend learning out of the classroom, adds relevance to the curriculum, and provides opportunities for students to explore personal interests in agricultural practices.

The shared vision of the Medford School District is ALL are learning and learning is for ALL.  At Ruch Outdoor Community School, we believe all students should get sweaty and dirty in their learning experiences through the lens of place-based education.  

For the 2021-22 school year, Ruch is welcoming sister schools to sign up for a three-day experiential learning opportunity in the Applegate Valley.  The program consists of on-site skill building lessons and off-site outdoor exploration activities, in the outdoors with peers and qualified staff.  More information can be found here.

Teachers interested in signing up can complete an online Google Form with date and activity preferences. 

Come join us to take footsteps and make footprints.  See you outside!

This fall, 8th grade students at Ruch Outdoor Community School began a yearlong project with the Well Water Warriors (or Warriors for short) concerned advocacy group to help rural communities understand how to protect their drinking water resource.  Students participated in hands-on lessons to learn about what groundwater is, where it comes from, how it can become contaminated, and what to do if the groundwater used for drinking water becomes contaminated.  The four-week course aligned with topics covered in science class, including the water cycle, salmon habitat, water quality, and food webs.
 
Students collected water samples from their home, conducted the test at the school, tabulated the results, and then plotted the nitrate values on a community map.   Nitrate is the most common well water contaminant, and the sources of nitrate are fertilizers and animal and human wastes.  At the end, all testing equipment and supplies were donated to the school for future use.
 
In addition, the Warriors, with the assistance of a few Ruch students, are offering to conduct a free community-wide well water nitrate-testing event at this spring’s science fair on May 15th at Ruch Outdoor Community School, 156 Upper Applegate Road.
 
The Warriors would love to offer their assistance in working with other schools to conduct a large-scale nitrate well water testing events.
 
It’s never too late to learn more about protecting our groundwater! You can reach Audrey Eldridge from the Well Water Warriors at wellwaterwarriors@gmail.com  or 541-292-1329.  

What started as a bold idea in October became a memorable reality this June for 8th grade students at Ruch Outdoor Community School: a multi-day excursion to Yosemite National Park and northern California.  

Students were responsible for a bulk of trip preparations.  In addition to learning about natural history and current land use practices, students planned the food menu, researched hiking routes, set the itinerary for the trip, completed the Educational Fee Waiver form, and conducted multiple fundraising activities to cover over three-quarters of the trip's expenses.  This promoted a natural "buy in" and sense of agency.  Students walked away from this experience with a greater appreciation for public wild areas and the recreation activities made available by them.  

Highlights from the trip include:

• Warm-up morning hike to Lower Yosemite Falls;
• Guided tour of the riparian valley adjacent to Merced River from the Parks as Classroom Ranger Program;
• 6.4 mile hike on the Mist Trail to Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall Trails;
• Views of Liberty Cap and Emerald Pool from the John Muir Trail;
• Scouting for rock climbers with binoculars on El Capitan - we saw three!
• Birdwatching and nature sketching in Hodgdon Meadows;
• Swimming in glacial Tioga Lake in Tuolome Meadows at 9,639' elevation!
• Waterfall hikes on the McCloud River.

Ruch Outdoor Community School is proud to be the first public school in the county to boast a solar installation.
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The project, scheduled for installation by the end of this school year, is due to district funds as well as a $24,000 grant from Pacific Power Blue Sky.  The funds are part of the Blue Sky Renewable Energy program that allows customers to contribute to renewable energy in their communities.

A 33 panel, 11.4 kW photovoltaic (PV) system on the school’s roof will generate 15,483 kilowatt hours annually, saving the district roughly two-thousand dollars annually in energy costs.
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The project will include a kiosk to display site energy generation and usage, which the school will incorporate into its STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) curriculum.

Watch news video on the project here.

Read the Mail Tribune article.