At Cherry Gulch, we believe that education is the cornerstone of our lives. We offer an outstanding curriculum that covers all core subject areas including English, Math, History and Science. We also offer other elective programs including Art, Computers, Chess, Business Education (EYEClub.org), Spanish, FIRST Lego Robotics League, Team America Rockery Challenge (TARC), Cotillion, Psychology of Daily Living, Organization/Study Skills, Goal Setting/Careers, and Judo. Lessons are designed to be fun and engaging and are tailored to each student's needs. Our low student to teacher ratio allows us to give each student what he needs to succeed.
Our Educational Philosophy includes:
- Create a pro-social environment rich with content and instruction
- Develop basic academic skills, critical thinking and good study habits
- Present core subject matter with emphasis on problem solving, executive functioning and cognitive motivation
- Encourage healthy attitudes toward education that will facilitate life-long learning
Cherry Gulch is certified by the Northwest Accreditation Commission (NWAC) and meets or exceeds the academic standards set by the State of Idaho. The academic staff at Cherry Gulch is comprised of excellent instructors who implement a variety of teaching strategies addressing different learning styles and modalities involving individual student needs. These educators come from a variety of backgrounds combining both contemporary and classical knowledge of content areas and integrate these on a frequent basis.
At Cherry Gulch, there are many opportunities for different connections to be made. All core subjects; English, Math, Science, and History, can be linked in any number of ways. For example, History and English can be taught together during the Unit of "Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl." Science and Math can be taught in accordance while taking a nature hike and measuring the distance traveled by GPS. Therapeutics and academics can also be merged in many ways. During the Anne Frank unit, the students can empathize with what the young girl must have felt while her people were being persecuted and destroyed. Survival skills can be implemented during the nature hike by navigating with map and compass, and even the sun or the moss on the trees could be utilized to help these young men find their way. These things can also be metaphorical in helping these young men travel the right path.
Integration is not a new concept. People have been teaching multiple content areas together for years now. However, at Cherry Gulch, we like to move beyond the conventional two-dimensional educational approach, and make our experience even more fulfilling. By adding in a therapeutic element to our academics, our practice becomes a three-sided one of academics, therapeutics, and logic, and enables students to see the big picture of how things can all be interrelated in life. This triangular pedagogy is an excellent way for us to help everyone involved maximize their potential; students, parents, and faculty alike.
Therapeutics
The novels the boys read in literature and the concepts they write about in their composition classes can all be wrapped around various psychological notions:
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, The 6 Most Important Decisions - These books teach teens how to prepare themselves for all aspects of life.
Depression - Anne Frank deals with the overwhelming feelings of having no control over one's life.
Isolation - Hatchet is a book about a boy who is lost in the wilderness and has no contact with society.
Anger - The Outsiders is excellent for teaching young men that anger can be harnessed and controlled and eventually molded into compassion.
Confidence - The Hobbit is a great book for helping boys see that no one is helpless.
Love conquering hate - Romeo and Juliet is excellent for showing these young men what it means to have an undying love for something or someone.
These are just a few of the concepts the boys deal with in their academic endeavors at Cherry Gulch. Each of which can be reflected upon by a writing assignment as well. Depression: 'Compose an essay about a time when you were depressed and felt hopeless and had no confidence. Include paragraphs about what you did to overcome these things and better your life.'
Students impacted by strong emotional issues or possible learning disabilities are given special attention. Individualized academic plans are created for these students to be sure that they perform at their best.
Curriculum
Language Arts/English — The Language Arts program at Cherry Gulch combines Literature and Composition in various ways to promote literacy, fluency, comprehension and analysis, and helps students become better readers and writers. These things are supplemented by grammar and vocabulary skill practice to improve written, spoken and read English, as well as aid in the overall understanding of the American language. Tie-in opportunities are prevalent as academics and therapeutics are spliced daily in a writing course involving the alignment of program-levels writing with state composition standards. The main goal of this program is to help students overcome two of the most common obstacles in school; reading and writing.
Math — Cherry Gulch's Math program balances the mastery of fundamental skills with critical thinking and problem-solving. We emphasize active approaches to engage students in mathematical concepts. One way this is achieved is through student participation in Lego League. Competing in Lego League teaches students the values of problem-solving and teamwork in a fun environment as they compete with other schools at sanctioned tournaments. We teach to a wide range of academic abilities, ranging from more basic elementary math to Algebra and Geometry. Our small class sizes create the perfect combination of general instruction and one-on-one assistance. We impress upon our students the importance of being neat, organized, and prideful in their work, which sets them up for success at Cherry Gulch, traditional schools, and all other areas of their lives.
Science — Our science program has two main goals: to develop in our students a positive attitude about science and enable our students to become scientifically literate. These goals are accomplished by creating a safe and respectful learning environment that allows our students to follow their natural desire to learn new things (specifically things related to science). Given the location of Cherry Gulch our learning environment will often be somewhere outside – exploring the world through science. At the beginning of the school year our science program focuses on life science for the younger students and biology for the older students. The students will learn about: cell structure and function, genetics, botany, evolution, life history, and ecology. Later in the school year, students will learn about earth science and physical science. Throughout the school year students will participate in various science related field trips and activities. For example: camping in Stanley Idaho and studying ecosystems, visiting the Idaho Fish and Game Nature Center to learn about local wildlife, and competing in Team America Rocketry Competition.
History – Cherry Gulch’s Social Studies program, integrating topics in History, Geography and Civics, seeks to open young minds and imaginations to far-off lands, distant times, diverse people, and the impact and role these may play in issues facing them today. Students will get a view of the story in History, not only the story of the infamous and famous, but also that of ever day men and women who have contributed to the human story. Students will be exposed to the challenges and the contributions these people of the past have made. Cherry Gulch believes that children should be introduced to humankind’s legacies. Different cultures throughout history have bequeathed a treasure trove of knowledge and experience that creates our common culture as human beings. History instruction will work to development such intellectual tools as critical thinking skills, the recognition of cause and effect, and decision making and problem solving abilities. Students will develop these skills through the use of visual analysis, learning to identify and use primary and secondary sources, becoming competent in graphic analysis of images, maps, and graphs, and to be on the look out for bias. The classes employ varied instructional methods offering a variety of ways to engage student actively in their learning: visual and aural aids of various media, individual and group reading, writing, online research and investigation, field trips, oral presentation and discussion, active listening, drawing and painting to reinforce comprehension and understanding, and oral, written, and visual assessment. Learning activities have included visits to a hydroelectric production dam, the silicon chip manufacturing plant of Micron Systems, learning sites for Paleo-Native American, Oregon Trail pioneers, reenactments of Mountain Men, Pioneer, and Frontier Miner life. A trip to Yellowstone National Park tops off several weeks of specialized focus on Plate Tectonics, mountain building, volcanism, geothermal activity, and the explorers, trappers, and Native American peoples of the areas history. A trip to the Oregon coast includes historical sites and natural features unique to the area. These trips not only reinforce the concepts explored in classes, but give students an opportunity to see, feel, and smell the real thing. Additionally they are a chance to practice practical social skills with one another and others in a natural public atmosphere.
Extended Curriculum
Art — Art lessons are offered periodically and introduce students to great works of art from different cultures and eras, while engaging them in creative activity-painting, drawing, molding with clay, and more.
Music: We sometimes offer a music class but we also have a very musically talented staff member who will help students with their instruments if they ask. Students can have musical instruments on-campus after they have earned a personal item and they can play their instruments during free time.
Psychology of Daily Living: This class meets once a week for instruction in emotional intelligence, feelings and emotions vocabulary, identifying emotions, reading body language, social skills, coping skills, empathy, anger-management, anxiety-management, dealing with depression, self-esteem, substance abuse prevention, and managing symptoms of ADHD. Adjuncts to this course include individual therapy, group therapy, family therapy, equine assisted psychotherapy, therapeutic experiential activities, and community meetings.
Chess: Students who are interested in participating in chess receive coaching from a three time National Chess Champion they also participate in several tournaments. Chess has a numerous benefits including increasing logic and reasoning scores.
EYEClub: Educating Young Entrepreneurs (EYE) is a club that the boys can receive credit for participating in. A professional business coach teaches the boys how to set goals, create a vision board, write a business plan, start a business, network, market, and run an actual business of the students choice. Visit EYEClub.org for more information.
Cotillion: This course teaches students etiquette, manners, conversation skills, and dining survival. Visit SocialEssence.com for more information.
Judo: Eligible students participate in judo twice a week and are able to compete in a number of tournaments.
Wilderness Survival: Our students will naturally learn about the outdoors through our field trips, camping trips, fishing trips, and various outdoor experiential activities. We also have a number of staff members who are experienced outdoors men and women.
Goal Setting/Careers Class: Through a variety of exciting cross curricular activities, students will receive instruction on goal setting and career options through EYEClub, field trips, etc. In conjunction with their Language Arts course, students will give career related presentations and develop essays about careers they are interested in.
Physical Education: Physical exercise is entwined throughout the program. Students exercise as they ride horses, participate in experiential activities, hike around the adjacent mountains, attend judo classes, and participate in games and initiatives and enjoy a variety of fun recreational activities, such as, skiing, snowboarding, whitewater rafting, etc.
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