From Roots & Wings Community School
6th – 8th Grade Trip

August 23-27 Roots and Wings Middle School students ventured into the Latir Wilderness for our fall backpacking excursion. We endured five days of hail, rain, and unseasonably cold temperatures with smiles on their faces! We began and ended at Cabresto Lake and hiked up to Heart Lake. The weather foiled our plans for a longer hike but it was a beautiful trip, regardless. While on the trip, we played games, sang songs, and kept spirits high with general frivolity. We also learned about the principles of Leave No Trace, navigation with topographic maps, cooking on back-country stoves, and pooping in the woods. Despite the damp wood, on our final day, we were able to start a campfire and enjoy some well-deserved breakfast s’mores! Most kids were excited to go home but a few wished they could stay in the woods even longer!

3rd – 5th Grade Trip
Rose Dragoo, Teacher

At the end of August, the Roots & Wings Community School 3-5 Cohort embarked on a four-day, three-night adventure into the Rio Grande gorge. Hefting backpacks containing everything they would need for the next four days — including clothes, tents, food, and cooking gear — the intrepid students hiked their way down switchbacks leading to the riverside camping area at Big Arsenic Springs. Over the course of the week, students ventured out on day trips, respectfully investigated ancient petroglyphs, splashed around in springs and eddies along the banks of the Rio Grande, laughed and sang around a campfire, and were lulled to sleep at night by the sound of the rushing river below.

Through activities such as strenuous hikes, cooperative meal-times, and — for many — experiencing first-ever overnights away from their families, students were able to foster a sense of community and build confidence in their abilities, both as individuals and as a collective. This opportunity to overcome challenges outside a classroom setting transfers to students’ in-class time, as well. When presented with the evidence that they were able to persevere through the hike they thought would never end, or the night when they missed their family terribly, tackling that challenging math problem or essay question doesn’t seem quite so impossible!

K-2nd Grade Trip
Jaclyn Tregle, Teacher
Valerie Balog, Educational Assistant

The K-2 class at Roots & Wings Community School ventured on their overnight camping trip Sept. 14-16. They hiked almost a mile up the road to the Sangre de Cristo Youth Ranch with their backpacks filled with their clothes and necessities. The students helped in setting up their tents and went on a hike. The group also did some crafting and mindfulness activities. S’mores were made and songs were sung around the campfire. They are looking forward to their next trip in the Spring!