The School Buzz: Mountain Academy of Arts and Sciences highlights 6th-grade at Ute Pass Elementary

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — It may be the most "Colorado" class ever offered to 6th-graders. It proves that not all classrooms have four walls. And it's in its 12th year of tremendous success at Ute Pass Elementary School.

The Manitou Springs D-14 school offers the Mountain Academy of Arts and Sciences to its sixth-graders each year. Signing up means that students go on 25 field trips-- including two overnight backpacking trips-- throughout the year, all in the name of learning more about the environment and the stewardship of it.

Trips include ice fishing, whitewater rafting, trout release, cave exploration-- even a three-day trip to Sand Dunes National Park. The school provides all the gear, tents, and sleeping bags.

The principal is Jackie Powell. She says amazing things happen when it's the students [not staff] who "are truly driving their learning and not just sitting all day at a desk."

The school is accepting applications for the academy for the 2025-2026 school year. The program was named the 2024 Leave No Trace Community Youth Program of the Year. You can read more about registration here.

Is there something or someone remarkable at your school? Email Josh directly at SchoolBuzz@KRDO.com!

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