Afterschool Programs

2022 Spring Afterschool Programs

* Registration is now LIVE! Click here to register! * 

Mountain SOL offers after-school programs for all local students, as well as workshops and classes for adults and the general public. Classes are priced using sliding scale tuition (within a price-range) so you can choose what you want to give to the school. Payments made above the maximum listed price are considered donations. If you would like to apply for a needs-based scholarship, please go to our Giving Goats Scholarship Fund.

All after-school programs are held on the Morgantown Learning Academy
campus unless otherwise noted – map here

Age restrictions for each group are flexible.
We work hard to make sure that kids have a good social network within their class as well as similar skill levels.
Group placement also depends on the experience and maturity of each participant.
Please contact us at
[email protected] with any questions.

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Spring Dates

(Begins the week of March 7th until the week of May 23nd)

Mountain Mallards: Mondays, 11 weeks, 4:00 to 5:30 (2nd – 4th Grade)
Wildcraft Wednesdays: Wednesdays, 11 weeks, 4:00 to 5:30 (4th Grade+ )
Zorros: Wednesdays, 11 weeks, 4:00 to 5:30 (5th to 8th Grade)
Mapaches: Thursdays, 11 weeks, 4:00 to 5:30 (4th to 6th Grade)
Jaguares: Thursdays, 11 weeks, 5:00 to 7:00 (8th to 12th Grade)


     Classes also include additional camp outs, woo-hoos, or group hikes. Each unique activity is listed in the individual class description.
There will be no classes scheduled during Spring Break, March 14th through 18th.

Mountain Mallards (Ducks)

– Beginning Monday, March 7th
– 4:00 to 5:30*
– Students may arrive as early as 3:20 if needed
– 2nd through 4th grade
– Instructors: Paula Taylor (Ms. T) and Benjamin Tower (Mr. Ben)
– Cost: $150-$200 per student
-Spring semester Focus:  Outdoor Games and Survival Packs!

This class is for our students who just can’t get enough of being outside and who want to learn more about the trees, animals, plants, trails and treasures we have on our campus. We will spend every minute of our time together hiking the trails around the Mountain SOL property, exploring our forests. While this class will be full of fun and exciting discoveries, our instructors will consistently use principles of individual responsibility, team work, and good stewardship to direct our adventures.

     Parents; personal responsibility is a BIG part of this club, so remind your child to prepare and encourage them to pack their own gear the night before. We will be going outside in ALL weather types (Cold, wet, rainy, and muddy!). Please feel free to e-mail Mallards instructors, Ms T. at [email protected] or Mr. Ben at [email protected] if you have questions about gear. Each child needs to bring a backpack, a water bottle or camel pack, and a nut-free snack with a label for each adventure.

     Please note: Instructors will determine which students will advance to Mapaches based on experience, maturity, and levels of personal responsibility. Parents will receive a checklist of their child’s progress at the end of each semester.

     *Study hall for MLA students will be 3:15 to 4:00 to allow time for public school and home-school students to travel to MLA. We will begin hiking promptly at 4:00!

 

Wildcraft Wednesdays (Jackalopes)

– Beginning Wednesday, March 9th
– 4:00 to 5:30*
– Students may arrive as early as 3:20 if needed
– 4th grade+ (Younger kids may join with adult supervision)
-Instructor: Jason Ruehl (Mr. Jason)
– Cost: $150-$200 per student
-Wildcraft Wednesday Hike: (To be announced)

     Wildcraft Wednesdays is an open-aged class where students can embrace their creative freedom in the woods! They will learn about local folklore, observe the wonders of nature, what makes different ecosystems special, and how to create art in the wild.   

     Wildcraft Wednesdays is open to a wide age-range and students will be able to participate equally whether they are in 4th grade or high school. Their only limit is their imagination! The teacher, Mr. Jason, is also our Jaguares Provider instructor, knife safety instructor, and is leading our new satellite after-school program at Mason Dixon Park!

     Parents: personal responsibility is a BIG part of this club, so remind your child to prepare and encourage them to pack their own gear the night before. We will be going outside in ALL weather types (Cold, wet, rainy, and muddy!). Please feel free to e-mail Wildcraft Wednesdays instructor, Mr. Jason at [email protected] if you have questions about gear. Each child needs to bring a backpack, a water bottle or camel pack, and a nut-free snack with a label for each adventure.

     *Study hall for MLA students will be 3:15 to 4:00 to allow time for public school and home-school students to travel to MLA. We will begin hiking promptly at 4:00!

 

Zorros (Foxes)

– Beginning Wednesday, March 9th
– 4:00 to 5:30*
– Students may arrive as early as 3:20 if needed.
– 5th to 8th Grade
– Instructor: Benjamin Tower (Mr. Ben)
– Cost: $150-$200 per student
– Zorros camp-out: (To be announced)
Spring Topic: Medic 2 (new arrivals can be “patients”)

     The Zorros program is the next step for students graduating from the Mapaches. Zorros focuses on the practical application of sur-thrival skills with particular emphasis on building outdoor camps with limited supplies and resources. This will include learning practical knots, basic knife skills, and how to use items typically found in a survival pack. Zorros have increased responsibilities and will learn that their actions and decisions can have consequences.  

     Zorros will have the opportunity to be invited into our Cheat Mountain Campus summer program, with instructor permission. Each semester they will practice a different skill-path (Medic, Provider, Scout, or Herbalist) to help them decide what advanced program they will pursue in Jaguares.

     Parents; personal responsibility is a BIG part of this club, so remind your child to prepare and encourage them to pack their own gear the night before. We will be going outside in ALL weather types (Cold, wet, rainy, and muddy!). Please feel free to e-mail Zorros instructor, Mr. Ben at [email protected] if you have questions about gear. Each child needs to bring a backpack, a water bottle or camel pack, and a nut-free snack with a label for each adventure.

     *Study hall for MLA students will be 3:15 to 4:00 to allow time for public school and home-school students to travel to MLA. We will begin hiking promptly at 4:00!

 

Mapaches (Raccoons)

– Beginning Thursday, March 10th
– 4:00 to 5:30*
– Students may arrive as early as 3:20 if needed.
– 4th to 6th Grade
– Instructor: Lauren Martin (Miss Lauren)
– Cost: $150-$200 per student
– Mapache Woo-hoo: (To be announced)
– Spring Topic: (TBD)

     The Mapaches group is for students who have learned how to be responsible for themselves, are respectful of nature, and are aware of the potential dangers of the woods. These students have achieved a level of independence and are ready to learn how to work as a pack. They have earned the instructor’s trust, allowing them to venture into the woods with less supervision.

     Please note: Instructors will determine which students advance into Mapaches based on experience, maturity, and levels of personal responsibility. 

     Parents; personal responsibility is a BIG part of this club, so remind your child to prepare and encourage them to pack their own gear the night before. We will be going outside in ALL weather types (Cold, wet, rainy, and muddy!). Please feel free to e-mail Mapache instructor, Miss Lauren at [email protected] if you have questions about gear. Each child needs to bring a backpack, a water bottle or camel pack, and a nut-free snack with a label for each adventure.

     *Study hall for MLA students will be 3:15 to 4:00 to allow time for public school and home-school students to travel to MLA. We will begin hiking promptly at 4:00!

 

Jaguares (Mountain Lions)

– Beginning Thursday, March 10th
– 5:00 to 7:00*
– Students may arrive as early as 3:20 if needed.
– 8th to 12th Grade (with prior experience)
-Instructors: Jen Osha Buysse and Elijah  Wellings Buysse
– Cost: $175-$225 per student
– Jaguare camp-out: (To be announced)
– Spring Topic: Practical Herbalism and Mountain Medic Certification

     This advanced group has options to focus on different Paths through our curricula: Medic, Scout, Herbalist and Provider, and our newest one, Mountain Medic. Jaguares will work towards graduating their chosen Path. At this level, students are able to complete scenarios as a pack and begin to consider their responsibilities as leaders, including our obligations to the greater community, and the stewardship of our natural areas.

     This semester we are structuring things a little differently. In the time before class begins the students may work on their individual projects that they need to complete in order to graduate from their chosen Path. Some Paths may require studying, some the construction of a physical object, and some may be a stewardship project elsewhere on the property. Students will work with Mountain SOL staff to focus the scope of their project and to help guide them towards completion.  During class we will focus on material relevant to the Mountain Medic path, including any specialized classes Mountain Medics require, such as practical herbalism or de escalation. The goal is to have the Jaguares work toward completing the Mountain Medic certification and getting our official ECSI Mountain Medic Certification cards.

     We will be going outside in ALL weather types (Cold, wet, rainy, and muddy!). Please feel free to e-mail Jaguare instructor, Jen at [email protected] if you have questions about gear. This is an advanced class so each Jaguare will need the following: a day pack, water bottle or camel pack, a nut-free snack, a compass, a safety whistle on a cord, a 100-foot coil of paracord, matches and/or a lighter, proper footwear and clothing, a trash bag, other applicable survival materials, and any books that they receive to use in this class. 

 

* Registration is now LIVE! Click here to register! *