CCHS students, teacher outline growing Outdoor Adventure class, request second section

Anne Hale Smith, a Churchill County High School teacher, outlined the Outdoor Adventure course and its goals during the Churchill County School District Board of Trustees meeting. She described the class as a cross-curricular program that teaches fitness, conservation and practical outdoor skills through activities such as kayaking, archery, rock climbing and snowshoeing.

The program, launched officially in 2022–23, enrolled roughly 40 to 50 students across two combined sections that year, Smith told the board. Students take three field trips annually — paddle sports at Lake Tahoe, a hike at the Donner Pass tunnels and snowshoeing at Chickadee Ridge — and businesses in the region supply equipment and instruction at reduced cost or donation. Smith named Clearly Tahoe and Mountain Top Sports as partners that have provided boats and snowshoes; she also reported outreach to Yosemite National Park and Churchill County Parks and Recreation for support.

Why it matters: the class offers students who lack access to out‑of‑school outdoor experiences hands‑on instruction tied to fitness, science and career‑readiness, and board members asked how the district can support program expansion.

Smith said the class uses an Outdoor Tomorrow Foundation curriculum and emphasized mental‑health and teamwork benefits in addition to physical skills. Units listed included rock climbing, fishing, archery, camping and navigation. Field trip costs vary: some partners provide equipment free and ask only for a small tip; Smith said she charges students modest fees (examples given in discussion: $10 for snowshoe equipment rentals, and a $20 suggested contribution for lake paddle activities when the vendor requests a tip) and that she covers fees for students who cannot afford them. The board and Smith confirmed the course is delivered as a PE or elective credit depending on a student’s transcript needs; repeat enrollment can count as elective credit.

Students who took the class addressed the board. Jenna Stephens, a junior, said the class helped her “stop and put down my phone” and learn camping and survival skills. Other students — Zachary Tom, Mikaela Taylor, Evan Alexander Spross, Charles Pedic and Trinity Jane Lauren — described learning kayaking, geocaching, shelter building, Dutch‑oven cooking and snowshoeing and said the program helped with teamwork, problem solving and social confidence.

Board discussion focused on logistics. A trustee asked how often field trips occur and how the district determines who gets to attend. Smith said she aims for two field trips per semester but is constrained by weather, bus schedules and costs; she tries to schedule some trips in fall, winter and spring but sometimes must rearrange. Because demand for field trips has outpaced capacity, Smith said she requires students in the course to attend the scheduled trips and collects fees when parents sign the syllabus; if a student cannot pay, Smith said she covers the cost.

Smith confirmed she currently runs one section at CCHS and would like to add a second section so returning students can take different field trips. She said community partners have been generous, and named staff who help chaperone: Lance Latin and Steve Johnson assist with faster and intermediate student groups and campus staff support the program as well.

Ending: Board members thanked Smith and the students for the presentation. Trustees indicated interest in program expansion and follow‑up questions about scheduling, staffing and potential budget implications were left for staff to address in future meetings.