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TAO Education in Action!

   We have served thousands of different students in a variety of outings and youth leadership trainings. Below are examples of programs we have made possible:

 Berkeley High School's Community Partnerships Academy:

   The CP academy is a special program designed to teach job placement skills to low income students in the east Bay. As a reward for their hard work, teacher Annie Johnston organized a day trip with TAO. 16 students plus parents and teachers came to Point Reyes National Seashore for a day of kayaking and guided naturalist activities. The same group, hopefully with some new recruits, wants to follow up with an overnight kayak camping trip.

Kingsbury Middle School:

   32 students from KMS ran their year end trip with TAO that combined their science studies with an overnight kayak trip on Lake Tahoe and an overnight backpack trip to the Mokelumne Wilderness. During the backapacking portion, students learned minimum impact camping techniques as they studied the fragile high alpine ecosystem. Students also kayaked from Camp Richardson to Emerald Bay and learned about the plants and geology of The Tahoe Basin. Teachers Cathy Ricioli and Adam Dedmon joined their students in all activities. At the end of the trip, everyone seemed to agree that this was a critical experience in group building as well as exposing the kids to the environmental riches of their own back-yard--The Tahoe Basin! Mrs. Ricioli has already asked about putting together trips for next fall.

Students from Kingsbury Middle School participate in a demonstration of the issues threatening Lake Tahoe's clarity. Special thanks to Marine Research and Education, Inc. for providing a speaker and the model of Lake Tahoe

North Tahoe Middle School:

   On May 23-24, the entire 6th grade (130 students) from NTMS traveled to the the unique ecosystem of Mono Lake, California. A naturalist from TAO accompanied the group and provided expert natural history interpretation of the Lundy Canyon Area.

The Diamond Valley School--Markleeville, California:

   TAO provided a day of rock climbing and natural history exploration for the combined classes in grades 1-8.  The day was transforming for the group, and DV School plans to integrate many more youth leadership opportunities with TAO.

Marin Academy:

   As part of their community service learning program, 6 students from MA went through a weekend training session to be assistant kayak leaders. They will join trip leaders from TAO to offer kayak trips to underserved students in the Bay Area. Marin Academy students thus get to develop their outdoor leadership skills while also receiving community service credits at school!

The Crossroads Program:

   On July 24, 20 students from The Canal District of San Rafael had an introduction to the sport of rock climbing at Class Five Fitness, an indoor rock climbing gym. This will be followed by an outdoor rock climbing and camping trip in Yosemite!

North Tahoe Middle School's Mariposa Club:

   A group of young women will go on an overnight kayaking expedition on the California Coast.

For more information about the kinds of programs TAO Education can provide for your school or youth group, please contact us or visit the following links:

   Programs for Youth and Schools

   Activity Details

   Teacher Development Workshops