Rangely’s summer challenge course offers writing, science and confidence classes

RANGELY I Twenty-one students participated in the RE-4 Rangely School District’s first summer challenge program, which offered advanced coursework and field study in writing, physics, chemistry, anthropology and geology.
A creative writing course taught by English instructor Stephanie Kahler got writers actively involved with their own writing and allowed them to interact with a variety of local personalities to bring more ideas to their own style.
The community was actively involved in this course. Students first met with residents from Eagle Crest Assisted Living, where writers interviewed their senior friends and were challenged to write biographies, tall tales and realistic/historical fiction pieces around what they had learned about these important members of our community. Final drafts were presented to the senior participants and given to them as gifts.
The next project was working with children at the Giant Step Daycare. Writers met with the children and got to know them. They then used their skills to construct short stories with the kids. Writers taught the children how to make “burrito books” and present their stories to a large group. Participants were asked to respond to daily prompts and were able to present their work with one another. They also got to make homemade books, which were constructed by sewing and gluing the parts together.
The challenge program’s physics portion focused on the interconnected nature of electricity and magnetism and culminated in a trip to the Flaming Gorge Hydroelectric Power Plant.
The chemistry unit focused on the first 10 organic molecules in the IUPAC naming system as well as two organic compounds.
“I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the American Gilsonite Corp. as they put on the finest field trip I have ever attended as the culminating event for this unit,” said Berry Swenson, who taught all science portions of the program except anthropology, which social studies instructor Jeremy Lohry taught.
The geology and anthropology unit was a combined study of the rivers, geomorphology and petroglyphs of the Uinta Mountains. Swenson thanked the Henry family of Manila, Utah, for allowing students to visit the unique rock art found on their ranch as well as to dig for fossilized fish and sharks teeth. The group also toured the 1.1-billion-year exposure of rock unique to the Uinta Mountains.
The last day of the three-week course, which Swenson called a “smashing success,” was spent on the Colorado Northwestern Community College challenge course, where the students learned teamwork, mutual support and self-confidence.
Funding for this unique opportunity was provided by a grant from the El Pomar Foundation which was written by Charity Stolworthy of CNCC.