Derby Dam + Lockwood Mountain Biking

  • Upcoming Galena Outdoor Academy Events and Programs

    • Hunter Safety Certification -- Thank you to the NVDOW for leading our outdoor course the week of April 14! Attend class on April 21 for the next steps.

    • Thursday, May 15, 2025
      Event: Derby Dam + Lockwood Mountain Biking

    • Thursday, June 19, 2025
      Location: Lake Tahoe
      Activity: Kayaking and Paddling trip
      Focus: Outdoor skill-building, environmental stewardship, and culminating field experience

    Past Events

    • Thursday, Oct. 17: Project Discovery at Sky Tavern: Students built leadership skills by participating in challenging physical activities in the forest at Sky Tavern and collaborating to bring their learning back to daily life.
    • Nov. 21: Spooner Summit with https://forestry.nv.gov/: 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
    • January 23: Grimes Point archeology, Sand Mountain adventure
    • February 20: Sky Tavern Skiing, Snowboarding, Avalanche Science, and Beacon Location
    • April 17: Pyramid Lake Fishery, Fishing, and Museum--Spawning Day!!!

    Overview of Outdoor Academic Success

    Welcome to our collaborative project to leverage our privilege of living in one of the most beautiful and challenging places on the planet to learn to enhance the lives of our families, friends, and ourselves.

    As pioneers in this mission, you are responsible to yourself and all future Grizzlies following in your footsteps. We embark on this journey with shared ideas, principles, and visions, understanding that we will encounter obstacles, surprises, and challenges as we explore this new terrain.

    Our program is structured around a daily 7th-period class focused on field trips and certifications related to outdoor experiences. These certifications will equip you with valuable skills and knowledge for your outdoor adventures. Our field trips allow us to apply what we have learned in real-world settings and further develop our outdoor expertise.

    One task will be to help shape this syllabus, not only for yourself but for future classes of students who will thrive based, in part, on the paths you create. Your input and experiences will be invaluable in refining and improving our program, including the types of certifications we pursue and the nature of our field trips.

    Group collaboration will be a key aspect of our adventure. To facilitate this, your teacher has prepared a survey to assess your strengths and areas for improvement. This will help us place you in diverse groups where you can grow and build your talents collectively. Please take the time to complete the survey here thoughtfully.

    As we progress through the year, we will provide more details about the specific certifications we'll work towards and the destinations and activities planned for our quarterly field trips. Your input will be crucial in shaping these experiences to ensure they meet the needs and interests of our pioneering class.

    Please complete this Microsoft Form to help us collaborate in small groups, each of which includes members with a variety of skills and interests. 

    Things to Know

    1. All phones must be placed in their assigned pockets before the bell rings. If you don't know your assigned pocket, please give it to your teacher for storage. Phones may not be used anywhere in the building and must remain in pockets during the entire class period. The only exception is that in an evacuation, you may remove your phone from the pocket on your way out the door. Phones appearing in the classroom during class time will be sent to the Den.
    2. The more we get done in the classroom, the more time we can spend outside. Trust the process; the more efficient our learning in the classroom, the less time we need to spend here!
    3. If you are done learning, spend time learning how to learn better. Did you know, "A surprising aspect of tests, specifically self-testing soon after exposure to new material, is that they can significantly improve your ability to learn, apply, and maintain new knowledge" (Huberman 2024). That means you should use 7th period to test yourself and each other on what we learned today! 

    Check out the detailed advice on better studying here.