ARC recently hosted the first retreat for students from Kings River High School in Sanger, California.
As ARC explores the feasibility of serving this agricultural community on the outskirts of Fresno, in partnership with Epic Promise a new group of students was exposed to outdoor programming in Tahoe.
Kings River is a continuation high school for students who are at risk of not graduating. These students face obstacles—substance abuse, family trouble or academic struggles—that slow their academic progress. The high school, whose mission aligns with ARC’s, provides a family-like environment so that students can receive the support and guidance they need to graduate.
To meet ARC’s mission of integrating literacy and wilderness programming, weekend retreat participants went snowboarding at Northstar, toured Sierra Nevada College, and wrote personal poetry with Fresno poet Michael Dominquez.
One student wrote after the experience, “I learned [this weekend] that all you need to have fun is some friends and a supportive group of people around you.”
This supportive group included Northstar instructors, who led the students through a progression of exercises to learn the basics of snowboarding. They introduced the Sanger students to “S” turns and “garlands” and, by the end of the afternoon, many of the students were able to go up the lift and maneuver easily down the mountainside. Northstar generously provided all the lift tickets and instruction for ARC participants.
At Sierra Nevada College (SNC), Admissions Officer Jessica Doar toured the students around campus, showing them dormitories, classrooms, science laboratories, the art studio, and more. ARC alumna and SNC graduate Yami Guttierez shared her college experiences and encouraged students to consider applying. Yami said, “I never thought I would be able to attend a private college like SNC, but because of my involvement in ARC, I was able to receive financial support and graduate.”
After experiencing the beauty of Lake Tahoe and Northstar, several Sanger students expressed an interest in attending future ARC retreats. ARC is excited to offer more retreat opportunities to Kings River and Sanger High School students in 2015, inviting them to apply for ARC summer courses and September’s rock climbing retreat in the Sierra National Forest.