Alliance Burton's Journey to Yosemite

These schools had planned a program at our Santa Monica Mountains campus in the spring but the November 2018 Woolsey Fire changed all of that. NatureBridge’s program sites were devastated by the fire forcing the difficult decision to cancel programming. It seemed like the end of Alliance’s trip, but thanks to the hard work of NatureBridge staff and the generous support of donors, we were able to relocate Alliance Burton, and many of our other Southern California schools, to our Yosemite campus.  

Alliance Burton’s first NatureBridge program in 2018 had a life-changing effect on their students. If any school was motivated to relocate to Yosemite, it was them. I reached out to Ms. Garcia, Alliance Burton’s environmental science and lead teacher, only days before the school was to go on winter break. When she heard that NatureBridge was ready to support the transition, she decided that she would do her best to engage students and their parents despite the short planning time. Ms. Garcia was determined to provide her deserving students with a NatureBridge experience.

Ms. Garcia wasted no time in engaging parents as they only had two school weeks before their new Yosemite trip. Typically, raising money to go on a NatureBridge trip is one of the biggest hurdles a school like this faces. However, in this case, the Gear Up funding along with the NatureBridge scholarship support meant that families did not have to pay anything. The largest hurdle this school faced was getting parent permission.

Parent permission may not seem like a big hurdle, but for this group it was. These first generation students come from immigrant families, many of whom have negative connotations associated with spending time outside. Many of these parents look at being in the outdoors as a function of economic necessity, rather than as an educational opportunity. This negative perception paired with worry about having their child away from their home and general safety concerns made this program an especially tough sell to parents.

The two lead teachers and district Alliance office called the parents of over 70 students requesting permission. Some required multiple calls to convince them. Some parents only allowed their child to go if the lead teacher agreed to keep an eye on them specifically. The previous NatureBridge experience of both lead teachers helped validate the fact that this would be an incredible opportunity for these students.

The only space available at our Yosemite campus to support displaced schools was in January and February, typically when there is snow. Experiencing the outdoors for many of these students would be a first, and the snow added another layer of complexity.  Few students had sleeping bags, boots, heavy jackets and sturdy gloves. NatureBridge purchased heavy shoe covers with the help of some of Alliance’s Gear Up Grant and our Yosemite staff did a clothing drive in the community to secure more jackets and gloves. Most students availed themselves of this loaner gear.  

On Tuesday, January 22, 70 Alliance Burton students arrived at our Yosemite campus at Half Dome Village. None of the students had been in the snow before or experienced the beauty of Yosemite’s granite cliffs and endless meadows. They stood in awe of the snow and the majestic peaks that rise out of the Valley. The snowball fights and excitement would continue for the next four days.

While eating lunch on trail we paused to express gratitude and one student was particularly eloquent. He expressed his gratitude for his surroundings, his classmates and for the people who made the trip possible and he was emotional as he spoke. This was a student with learning disabilities who was described to me as disruptive in the classroom. And, it was his parent that required several phone calls, including a call to an older sibling, who helped coax the parent to say yes to the trip. This student was so clearly moved by his experience and had the confidence to express his feelings in front of his peers. This student almost didn’t have the chance to go on this trip and he was likely one of the students who appreciated and gained the most from the experience.

There were two students who were recent immigrants and neither spoke English. Their teacher explained that they were often separated out in the classroom so they could get English instruction. As a result, they didn’t know their classmates very well. There was a team building exercise in which the 13 students stood in a circle and had to reach across and hold hands with one another, basically forming a human knot. They were challenged to untangle the knot and re-form the circle without letting go of the hand they were holding. The classmates all joined in to help the Spanish speakers follow along and together they succeeded at the challenge. The students supported each other very naturally. These two ELL students became more engaged in the activities and confident in their interactions. In fact, on the last day one of the boys said in Spanish to the ELL student how much he had enjoyed getting to know him during the week and the Spanish speaking student hugged him and said ‘thank you brother.’

One of the other team building challenges was for the students to put their faces in the icy cold Tuolomne River.  Several of the boys accepted the challenge, one even doing push ups so his face repeatedly dipped in the cold water. The girls did not want to do it at first but after seeing their own teacher accept the challenge and offer words of encouragement, the girls said yes.  At the end of the trip the students reflected on their NatureBridge experience and many expressed that they were proud of their ability to face their fears and overcome the challenge. One even said that she felt accomplished and ready to face bigger challenges.