The Inspiration for ARC
On January 1, 2004, skinning up a backcountry slope in a snowstorm, Katie Zanto decided it was time to launch the wilderness and literacy program she had been envisioning.
The idea for ARC was inspired by Katie’s dual professional experiences in outdoor education and English instruction. Katie had been an Outward Bound instructor for a decade and had taught middle and high school English and English Language Development (ELD) in the Bay Area and Tahoe.
Researching the idea for her Master’s thesis at Stanford, Katie had discovered that New York City Outward Bound Center offered a 6-week long summer course similar to her vision. The course combined writing with outdoor adventure in the Adirondacks for underserved students from Queens and the Bronx. So, in the summer of 2003, she traveled to New York, worked as an instructor on the course, and returned to California convinced that her idea could be implemented successfully. Katie says, “I was inspired. It became clear to me that most outdoor education was missing an opportunity to incorporate literacy and I was committed to offering a unique enrichment opportunity to Tahoe’s English Learner students.”
Sharing the concept with the Tahoe-Truckee Unified School District and with friends in the outdoor community, Katie was overwhelmed by their support. The School District not only gave their blessing to assist Katie in recruiting students, but they also provided an AmeriCorps volunteer, offered academic credit to ARC students, and apportioned Title I funding to the summer course. University of California-Berkeley’s Sagehen Creek Field Station generously offered to host the students.
ARC’s first course, with a basecamp at Sagehen, was 42 days long and had 9 participants from Truckee and North Tahoe High Schools. Students wrote personal, reflective poetry and essays while backpacking, rock climbing, and kayaking. The results were tremendous. Participants reported more confidence in themselves, in their writing, and in their academic futures.
Katie says, “For the first five or six years, working on ARC, developing partnerships and community relationships, raising funds, reaching out to students and their families, and training staff – it all took up most of my life. It was rewarding but very challenging. I am grateful to all the people who supported us along the way.”
Since those first nine students participated in the program in 2004, ARC has had over 300 summer graduates and 2,500 academic-year participants. Katie is now a Director Emeritus of ARC’s Board of Directors and serves as Chair of the organization’s Curriculum Committee. She currently teaches at Sierra Nevada University and chairs the Interdisciplinary Studies program. After more than 15 years of involvement in the organization, she continues to work with staff to enhance and refine curricula for ARC’s academic and summer programs.
Katie characterizes the founding of ARC as more than the fulfillment of a New Year’s resolution. Katie says, “Everything I had done before led to ARC.” ARC grew out of years of study and professional experience and came from the recognition that integrating two distinct forms of education would be powerful. Thanks to Katie, hundreds of ARC students have been sharing their stories, improving their English skills, and solidifying their dreams as they too climb upward on mountain peaks in Yosemite, Tahoe, and Sequoia.
