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COURSE SUMMARY:
This four month course offers classroom settings as diverse as the ancient cliff dwellings of New Mexico, the Saguaro of Arizona, and the vast canyonlands of Utah. Students create the schedule for the course after researching the multitude of opportunities available in some of the most breathtaking wilderness areas in the country. Some popular choices of previous courses have included: Big Bend National Park, Grand Canyon, Joshua Tree, Zion, the Canyonlands and southwestern Colorado.
The history, literature, flora, fauna, and geology of this area are lavishly rich. Adventure opportunities abound as students tour some of the most dynamic National Parks in the country. Additionally, students have a chance to explore diverse Native American cultures. Finally, this course includes a significant service learning component, allowing the students to give something of themselves to the different areas they choose to visit.
EXPERIENTIAL OPPORTUNITIES SPECIFIC TO THIS COURSE
Study the Spanish influence on this region from architecture to language and culture
Explore the wonders of cave formations in Carlsbad and Ketchner Caverns
Contrast the desert environments represented in this region while visiting:
* Great Sand Dunes National Monument
* Joshua Tree National Park
* Saguaro National Park
Study the flora, fauna, and geologic diversity of the region while visiting:
* Rocky Mountain National Park
* Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks
* The Grand Canyon Region
* Moab, Utah
Explore the Native American cultures found in the Southwest:
* The Pueblos
of Taos
* The Navajo of the Four Corners Region
* The Apache of the Grand Canyon
Join the festivities of a Native American Pow Wow Archeological Surveys of numerous Anasazai sites
Visit numerous art and natural history museums
ADVENTURE OPPORTUNITIES
* Rock Climbing
* Canyoneering
* Wilderness Backpacking
* Bouldering
* Canoeing
* Mountain Biking
* Winter Camping
* Snow Shoeing
* Cross Country Skiing
* Spelunking
* Orienteering
* Survival Skills
If interested, please contactAdmissions Department at 828-456-3435 or admissions@soarnc.org
Quick Facts:
Dates: 1/08/08 – 5/4/08
Students: 14
Days: 118
Tuition:$19,500
Ages:13-18
Philosophy: SOAR believes all individuals identified with learning disabilities (LD) and attention deficit disorder (AD/HD) possess inherent talents and gifts. These abilities can mean incredible success in adulthood once these students negotiate the challenging obstacles of childhood, adolescence, and a traditional education system, usually unable to respond to individual learning styles.
Therefore, the SOAR model is based on two fundamental principles. First, youth with LD and AD/HD flourish when they are encouraged to focus on their strengths in an experiential setting. The second principle acknowledges that success can be generalized by encouraging our students to develop and utilize strategies, enabling them to compensate for those challenging characteristics of LD and AD/HD. To this end, SOAR staff strive to ensure success for each student across a wide range of experiences. Such success, in turn, builds essential self-esteem and self-confidence.
Based on these two foundations, SOAR participants develop problem solving skills, effective communication strategies, increased self-awareness, and social skills. Program activities include a broad base of wilderness adventure experiences that empower students to make healthy choices, learn more about themselves, overcome challenges, and establish relevance from these experiences to other aspects of their life.
SOAR's Specialty Courses are open to SOAR alumni and students with the maturity and experience level to be successful on the course. Acceptance is conditional on the approval of the course director. Most specialty courses are led by one of SOAR's year-round staff including Jonathan Jones, John Willson and Jon Terry.
SOAR’s programs are designed to allow students the opportunity to increase their independence while away from home. Independence is gained through self-motivation and life skills instruction. With this in mind, we involve our students in many decision making processes, such as setting individual goals, developing group guidelines, as well as trip and meal planning. This also comes into consideration when developing SOAR’s communication policy, detailed in our Parent Handbook.
SOAR is dedicated to serving the needs of individuals with learning disabilities (LD) and attention deficit disorder (AD/HD) and is proud to be the finest: