July 2006 :: Feature Story

Kaycie Sullivan, director of the outdoor school, points out that the four-day, three-night program hits on every 5th grade science requirement of the TAKS test. More than 30 schools go through the program each year.

“What they learn in the classroom, they’re going to apply hands on, real world to different situations and scenarios,” says Sullivan. “Outdoor School is an extension of the classroom.”

Outdoor School is set on Texas Tech’s Junction Campus in the Hill Country. For teachers like Paul Brown from Abilene’s Bowie Elementary, the camp-like setting is a perfect teaching tool.

“Our classroom material is good, but it’s certainly very dry,” Brown says. “When we can get in the outdoors and the students can get their fingernails dirty and actually experience the concepts we teach in science, then that really sends the lesson home for keeps.”

Bowie Principal Pamela Paddock agrees. “Outdoor School is four days smack dab in the middle of the best classroom that you could possibly provide.”

The program teaches aquatic biology, wildlife biology, archeology, astronomy, ecology, ornithology, math and social studies.

While the four-day, three-night Outdoor Academy for fifth graders is the flagship program, there are also one-day trips available that address only one area of the curriculum.

Once a school signs up for the academy, Outdoor School teachers visit the school before the trip to teach the students the basics of what they’ll see once they arrive at Junction.

“We make a pre-visit so students will already have basic skills and arrive ready to learn,” says Sullivan.

Kaycie Sullivan, director of the outdoor school works one-on-one with a student.

The teachers, all state-certified, also do a follow-up visit to each school to provide a reinforcement of the skills and techniques learned at Outdoor School.

The program uses all the natural resources available at the scenic Hill Country campus.

For the aquatic biology lessons, the program uses the South Llano River that flows through the campus. The students get in the river, collect specimens, take them back to the laboratory to study under a microscope and then release their finds.

The South Llano River is an important part of Texas Tech's Outdoor School where 5th graders get hands-on learning experiences.

“The river is extremely important in getting students to understand that there are living organisms in the river,” Sullivan says. “If we put chemicals or litter into the river, then that affects those organisms. We’re covering some of the science requirements as well as addressing environmental issues that are extremely important so the students understand why we should protect the water.”

The river played a key role in the establishment of the Outdoor School, which began as a partnership with the Lower Colorado River Authority.

“Outdoor School was designed to address a wide range of issues in water research and public education,” says Bob Hickerson, Texas Tech’s chief operating office for off-campus sites.

Many of the schools that take part in Outdoor School are designated Title One Schools due to a high number of economically disadvantaged students. Bowie and Lee Elementary are two such schools. For them, the program helps with a key goal.

“This opens up a whole new world for our Title One kids that they’ve never been exposed to,” says Jeff Brokovich, executive director of federal programs for the Abilene Independent School District.

For Hickerson, Outdoor School is the perfect university-community partnership.

“The university is charged to help the community solve its problems,” he says. “Many elementary schools have little science equipment, so we solve a big problem for them.”

For more information on Outdoor School and a complete look at the curriculum, go to the Web site at www.junction.ttu.edu or call 325-446-2301.

Sally Logue Post