MENIFEE: Charter effort emphasizes nature, reflection

MENIFEE ---- There soon could be a school where class time is set aside for reflection and team-building, and where students are urged to explore nature as a way to tap into their innate curiosity.

Robyn Rogers is hoping to start a charter school in the Menifee area that would use a curriculum based on the principals of Outward Bound, an adventure-education organization that leads wilderness trips around the world.

Known as Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound, the teaching framework is used at schools throughout the country. It stresses values such as self-discovery, respect for the natural world, and collaboration and competition.

Rogers, a former public school teacher in Oregon, taught for a year using the expeditionary learning philosophy at a charter school in Oregon. She said the innovative philosophy doesn't clash with state educational standards.

"We do pull all of our curriculum from state standards," she said. "It's just the way we present the information, the framework we use, is much more hands-on, much more authentic. It just intrinsically engages the kids."

Rogers will hold an informational meeting starting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Grace Church in Quail Valley for those who might be interested in starting Aberdovey Charter School.
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