January 31, 2009
New Rancho Buena Vista High School club focuses on outdoor adventures
Rancho Buena Vista High School sophomore Mohammad El-najjar was nervous as he tested out a bike he was going to ride around trails near Lake Calavera on Wednesday as part of a new after-school program.
The teen had never ridden a mountain bike before, and was concerned about falling. He wasn't alone. There were eight other students with him. None of them knew much about mountain biking, which helped them form a bond, the students said.
"Everyone supports each other," sophomore Lucy Luna said before the ride. "We might laugh at you when you fall, but we're supportive." The outing was part of an after-school program the Vista Unified School District campus recently started to encourage camaraderie and participation from students who may not typically feel a strong connection with school, said JoAnn Jones, an assistant principal there.
"Kids who normally would do nothing connected to (Rancho Buena Vista) now have a positive connection," she said. "Statistics and research show that kids who get connected are the kids who are going to be successful. Over the last couple of months, the group has gone on three other excursions, including camping and rock climbing. Throughout the school year, they will continue the outdoor activities, going skiing, tree climbing and hiking.
Nearly 20 students are involved in the after-school club, though not all of them have gone on all of the trips. About half of the students are in a college-bound program. The other half are in classes for struggling students.
Educators at the school hope they will inspire each other, Jones said. "By putting them together, we will be able to link kids together than already have a positive attitude with kids that maybe need a more positive attitude," she said. "For some of these kids, they haven't had that 'rah-rah' support in the past."
Organizers picked activities that none of the students was likely to have done, said Nick Araya, who supervised the students on Wednesday's bike ride. "If we were to bring them all together to play soccer, you would automatically divide the group into kids who like soccer and kids who don't," he said. "But, when none of them have ever experienced mountain biking ... it kind of makes a level playing field."
For some of the students, the excursions have been a rare chance to interact with nature. "A lot of us are used to the city," Lucy said. "We don't really get out, so it's like a new world."
The opportunities don't cost the students anything. Instead, the school pays for them with money from a federal grant for after-school activities and tutoring. That money ---- more than $500,000 a year ---- also pays for a variety of other activities on the campus and at the district's other high schools. Exactly how that money is spent is up to administrators at each school.
Educators at Rancho Buena Vista decided to hire Champions to oversee the after-school treks. The Inglewood-based company specializes in such activities, mostly in the Los Angeles area.
This is the first time the company has worked with schools in San Diego County. However, Araya said the company is hoping to expand it to other schools in Vista, including the district's three high schools for struggling students, Alta Vista, Focus Academy and Maj. Gen. Raymond Murray. At Rancho Buena Vista, educators hope to keep the program going for at least the next five years. They're even planning to start a mountain biking class next year as a physical education elective, Jones said.
As he prepared to hit the trail Wednesday afternoon on his borrowed mountain bike, Mohammad said he was looking forward to even more adventures. "Basically, anything that lets me get out and see new things is pretty cool," he said.
Contact staff writer Stacy Brandt at (760) 901-4009 or sbrandt@nctimes.com.
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