Facilities
SOAR now has two Outdoor Education Centers - one located in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Balsam, North Carolina and the other in the majestic Wind River Mountains just outside of Dubois, Wyoming.
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Balsam Base |
Wyoming Base |
The
Balsam Base is a modern facility designed with a rustic charm.
The Lodge is the center of activity at Base. It houses the
kitchen, business office, equipment room, recreation room, group meeting
space and dining area. A bathhouse complex is adjacent to the
Lodge with bath
and shower facilities, a group meeting room, and a twenty-four
foot climbing wall. In close proximity to the Lodge are the
Low and High
Ropes Courses. These courses are designed to instill a spirit
of self-confidence and teamwork. Ten Adirondack-style shelters
are scattered throughout
the woodlands of the Base and serve as student and staff living
quarters.
Eagle View Ranch is located four miles west of Dubois, Wyoming. The Dining Pavilion and Riding Arena are centers of activitiy at Eagle View. The Dining Pavilion is constructed of Lodgepole pine and houses the kitchen, bath and shower facilities, and covered dining area with fireplace. The Riding Arena not only has an unforgettable view of the surrounding mountain ranges, but provides a wonderful venue for students to work on equestrian skills. Six Outfitter-style shelters and two tipis are scattered throughout the Douglas firs of Eagle View Ranch and serve as student and staff living quarters.
Transportation
In North Carolina round trip transportation between the Asheville airport or local bus station and Balsam Base is available upon request. In Wyoming, round trip transportation between Jackson Hole and Eagle View Ranch is available. Please check with the SOAR office prior to scheduling flights. Expedition teams will travel in fifteen-passenger vans with equipment trailers.
To Download SOAR's Transportation Policy as a PDF, click here.
To Download SOAR's Transportation Policy as a Word Document, click here.
Fee Payment
A registration fee of $250 for each summer session should accompany the student application for guaranteed enrollment. The total fee balance, for all courses, is due two months prior to the start of each session for which a student is enrolled.
After June 1st, full payment must be received in order to confirm your spot in the course.
SOAR reserves the right to cancel a course due to insufficient enrollment.
Multiple Courses
Looking for ideas on a longer summer adventure? You can create your
own summer plan by selecting desired courses and coordinating dates.
Students may choose to remain at SOAR between sessions. Contact SOAR
for assistance in program selection.
Staying Between Courses
Students participating in more than one SOAR course are invited to stay at Balsam Base or Eagle View Ranch between courses. Activities are fun and relaxed as students recharge for their next course. There is a fee of $100 dollars per day which includes all activity costs.
Refund Policy
Registration Fee:
The Registration Fee will only be refunded if the applicant is not accepted. Although the registration fee is non-refundable upon cancellation of a course, the fee may be used as a deposit for another course during the current season or as a deposit for a course during the next season only.Tuition Balance:
The balance of the tuition will be refunded according to the following schedule:
* Prior to 60 days - Full refund
* Between 30 and 60 days - 50% refund
* Between 15 and 30 days - 25% refund
* Within 15 days of course - No refund
Scholarships
Limited scholarships for summer courses are available to students based on financial need. Applicants are encouraged to contact SOAR early for necessary forms.
Equipment and Clothing
All expedition equipment will be furnished, with the exception of personal clothing, personal gear and sleeping bag. Upon acceptance, each participant will receive a complete Gear List.
Physical Condition
Individuals in good physical condition can successfully complete every aspect of their course. The use of tobacco or illegal substances will not be tolerated.
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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: