Every year, fifth grade elementary school students from Teton County and students from across the nation spend an entire weekend at Teton Science Schools' Kelly Campus in Grand Teton National Park where they bond with their classmates and learn about wildlife. But, due to the pandemic, overnight programs for local and out of state students were canceled.
In fact, an estimated 30 percent of outdoor education organizations nationwide will be forced to shut their doors by the end of the year. That's according to a survey funded by the National Science Foundation. Teton Science Schools is staying open, but it's required some big changes, especially for its field education branch.
Pre-pandemic field education staff would bring kids out into Grand Teton National Park. But on a sunny morning in December, Lena Goss, an instructor at the science schools, is on the playground of Munger Mountain Elementary School in Jackson facilitating a relay race. She explains to the kids that they have to move like wildlife.
"You have to remember that like a rabbit your front feet land," Goss said. "And then your back feet, this is really hard, your back feet land all the way in front of your front feet."
Greer Collins, a fourth grader, stepped up to the starting line and got in a position to hop like a rabbit.
"It's challenging with your boots because they are heavier, so it's harder to pick them up and put them all the way in front and only one move," Greer said.
But Greer's snow boots didn't slow her down. And through outdoor activities like this, she and her peers are learning social and emotional skills. Joe Petrick, head of Field Education at Teton Science Schools highlighted what students are learning.
"How do I interact with my peers? How do I contribute to a group? How do I be an active listener?"
This kind of development is part of the science schools' vision for it's students.
"Our hope is that the students that go through our programs become folks who not only have experienced our world and have really thought about science and bring a scientific perspective to their lives, but also have the skills and tools necessary to make change in our world," Petrick said.
Usually, activities like this relay race wouldn't be happening at local elementary schools. Instead, Jackson Hole fifth graders and thousands of students from across the nation come to the science schools' campuses in Jackson and Grand Teton National Park. But, these types of residential programs during the pandemic aren't feasible right now.
"The field education programming represents a large majority of the tuition revenue that comes into Teton Science Schools, so the COVID crisis and having us not be able to do our residential programming has had a significant financial impact on the organization," Petrick said.
The majority of field education programs have been canceled since March, which as Petrick mentioned represents a large portion of the schools' tuition revenue. Typically, 80 percent of the school is funded by tuition. The rest comes from philanthropic donations. Scholarships have not been negatively impacted, but the field staff went from 94 employees to around 10.
"We've had to get really creative and efficient with people's roles and responsibilities, have folks really working in innovative spaces," Petrick said.
Staff ramped up online professional development for teachers to continue providing resources for schools across the nation. For local students, there's Friday outdoor programs. Each week, staff coordinate with more than 30 community partners, including Teton County Parks and Recreation and the Jackson Hole Children's Museum, to offer options at four elementary schools in Jackson including Colter Elementary where Bo Miller is the Principal.
"We were able to put it in motion very quickly because of this pre-existing relationship," Miller said.
The relationship between Teton County School District and the science schools dates back to 1967. That's when the science school was founded and also when it started offering outdoor programs for local students. Miller said the current collaboration plays an instrumental role in the school's operations during these challenging times.
"It's allowing staff to take a day to prep and plan and collaborate; for parents it's allowing them to go to work," Miller said.
Greer's mom, Liz Collins, described her daughter as "social, but reserved."
"She's not like the first one to run up to other kids and say 'hey let's play this or that,' she's more, she can do things on her own; she's very independent," Collins said.
Greer knows how to make her own fun; but, the pandemic has put a real dampener on her social life. She misses playdates and sleepovers with her friends.
"We would make bracelets, draw and play hide and seek and play with toys like horses and stuff, and then we'd play outside for a little bit," Greer said.
Collins said the uninterrupted bonding time her daughter Greer is having with her peers at the science schools' Friday programs is really filling the gap.
"It's almost like this is the replacement because this is a solid unit and group of kids and they are able to, you know, share and connect for a longer period of time," Collins said.
At Munger Mountain Elementary, after the relay wrapped up, students gathered in a circle to reflect. They were asked to decide the animal they wanted to be in the relay and Greer mentioned the abilities of another student.
"Dalia was good at the waddling as a raccoon and at sliding; she was really good at that," Greer said.
The thoughtful ways that Greer interacts with her peers are being noticed by her fourth grade teacher, Daniel Primich.
"Greer was a fantastic kid coming into the school year, but as the year has gone on I've definitely seen Greer step up in some more leadership roles: like if a kid is struggling with a math problem, for example, I feel like she now has felt empowered to step up and help them out," Primich said.
Greer is headed into fifth grade next year. And if all goes well, she will spend a weekend at the science schools' Kelly Campus next fall. Field programs are tentatively scheduled to resume in June. For now, the science schools' instructors are showing her and her peers how to identify deer tracks in the snow.
