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Summit Elementary teacher showcases outdoor curriculum, grants and activities
Summary
Summit Elementary PE teacher Nick O'Keef presented the school’s environmental curriculum and extracurricular outdoor activities, including grant-funded equipment, snowshoeing, ice fishing and a field trip to the La Crosse Sparta Elroy Trail, and described curricular ties to math, reading and science.
Nick O'Keef, a PE teacher at Summit Elementary, described an outdoor-focused curriculum he said has been part of Summit since it became an environmental school in 2010 and that he has worked to expand. He showed photographs and videos of students snowshoeing, canoeing, fishing and biking, and credited the La Crosse Public Education Foundation and grant funding for equipment such as 12 new canoes. "Fun is highly underrated," O'Keef told the board, explaining that making activities enjoyable is central to developing lifelong outdoor habits.
Board members asked how the program addresses clothing and gear needs; O'Keef said the school maintains a large equipment closet with boots, snow pants, coats, hats and gloves and partners with local churches and community donations to ensure students are equipped for winter activities. Members also asked about curricular ties; O'Keef described classroom connections (tree identification, measurement and writing projects tied to maple-syrup collection, and math and science lessons linked to outdoor units). He said these experiences are woven into the K–5 plan and that Summit uses "no trace" stewardship practices in outdoor lessons.
Several board members praised the program as strengthening belonging and community ties. O'Keef said future goals include a "Summit Sugar Shack" maple-syrup project and additional community partnerships to expand lifelong-activity opportunities for students.
