Lessons learned at the school expand far beyond the five-day event, Felter says. Throughout the week with every lesson, students are using the EII - Environmental Issue Investigation - method, which encourages students to ask a question, collect data, come to an answer and work toward action to fix the problem. Today, the program is completely aligned to the environmental science curriculum for sixth-graders. When it began, Outdoor School was about getting kids outside into the environment and helping them to gain an awareness, Felter explains. She's been a driving force in the continued growth of the program. Principal Gina Felter, who was a teacher years ago at Outdoor School and is now in her fourth year as principal, exudes energy that is contagious throughout every step, from the bottom of her boots to the tips of her spiky blonde hair. The program has been in place since 1976.
Each week brings a new group of students to spend Monday through Friday, including four nights, at Hashawha Environmental Center in Westminster. (Dylan Slagle / Carroll County Times)įor sixth-graders across the Carroll County Public Schools system, Outdoor School is a rite of passage - it's an experience they all have and, for most, one they hold on to. Oklahoma Road Middle School sixth-graders arrive for their week at Carroll County Outdoor School at the Hashawha Environmental Center in Westminster Monday, Nov.