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July 27, 2005

Contact:           Sue Fisk
                        Director, Chewelah Peak Learning Center
                        509.935.7400
                        sfisk@chewelahpeak.org

Chewelah Peak Learning Center a Classroom for EWU Teachers In Training
Elementary teachers create outdoor education units at outdoor learning center

CHEWELAH — It’s not often you see classroom teachers wading through streams to develop a new lesson plan. But then, most classrooms aren’t located in a forest.

That’s the beauty of a grant funded by Eastern Washington University and the Chewelah Peak Learning Center, an outdoor education camp located about an hour north of Spokane. The grant, provided by the Charlotte Y. Martin Foundation and the Eastern Washington University Education Department, recently allowed 10 pre-service teachers to participate in a five-day Eagle Science Adventure program at the Chewelah Peak Learning Center in Chewelah. The program is designed to help teachers create elementary school lesson plans that focus on the region’s natural resources.

This past month, the soon-to-be teachers toured the Sherwood Creek Demonstration Forest, waded into Tomason and Chewelah Creeks to determine stream velocity and helped a class of 60 students from Gess Elementary Summer School perform a series of water quality experiments. The course also included a trip to the Red Marble Quarry to study the local geological history; an evening hike to the top of Chewelah Peak; and a trek to the Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge to study the region’s wildlife. Several associations and local groups participated in the program including: the Natural Resource Conservation Service, the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife, local forest and birding experts, guest speakers from the Washington State University Extension Office in Colville and the Stevens County Conservation District.

By the end of the five-day course, the participants had created 10 complete teaching units, designed for use by teachers who bring their students to Chewelah Peak. The lessons are designed to prepare elementary students for their visit by providing valuable background knowledge of the site and surrounding area. They also include activities for students to participate in while visiting the center. Each lesson allows students to manipulate the data based on findings from each individual visit.

“Chewelah Peak can be as much of a classroom for teachers as it can for students,” said Sue Fisk, director of the Chewelah Peak Learning Center. “Our partnership with Eastern has given these teachers some great experiences—experiences that will energize them as they head into the classroom and inspire their students to learn more about the outdoors.

“This is just the kind of opportunity we hope to offer more schools in the months and years ahead. There’s really no substitute for a classroom experience like this.” 

In 2003, the Association of Washington School Principals (AWSP) opened the Chewelah Peak Learning Center to provide outdoor and leadership education programs to students in eastern Washington. The facility includes a main lodge (including a full-service kitchen and dining hall), a 100-bed dormitory and campfire area. Construction of a new classroom center and second dormitory is currently underway. AWSP also operates the Cispus Outdoor Learning Center in Randle, Washington, and is the only principals’ association in the country two outdoor learning centers.  

“This grant is just one example of how Eastern Washington and Chewelah Peak can partner for the benefit of teachers and students alike,” said Rodger Hauge, instructor in the Eastern Washington University Education Department.

“It’s so hard to imagine teaching this material inside a traditional classroom setting. Chewelah Peak provides the perfect venue for this kind of experiential learning,” said Hauge. “We look forward to involving more teachers in this unique learning experience.”

For more information regarding the Chewelah Peak Learning Center, contact Sue Fisk at 509.935.7400 or visit the AWSP Web site at www.awsp.org.

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About the Association of Washington School Principals (AWSP)

The Association of Washington School Principals is a professional association serving principals and assistant principals. Formed in 1972, the Association now includes more than 3,500 members from public and private elementary, middle and high schools statewide. It also includes three component boards, representing principals, assistant principals and principal interns at the elementary, middle and high school level. The mission of AWSP is to support principals and assistant principals and the principalship in the education of all students.