TVHS forges new trail with outdoor program

For the first time this school year, English teacher Otto Ross looked out at the newly excavated path outside of Tanque Verde High School and saw an established trail. It’s a project his Outdoor Adventure Class has worked on every week, researching trail designs and clearing debris from their chosen route.

“They know every inch of the trail,” Ross said. “Overall, I’m extremely proud of the hard work and heart the kids have put into it. It’s cool to watch them take ownership of it and see the legacy they’re creating.”

The trail will be open for the school and Tanque Verde community in the next month, thanks to the efforts of the Outdoor Adventure Program. Started by Ross, the initiative includes a pilot class and club which engage students in different aspects of nature.

From high ropes courses to wilderness first aid, the program allows students to learn about the outdoors and how to maintain it. Sophomore Eric Morton is a student in the class and saw the opportunity to express his love for nature.

“It’s more captivating to me than city life,” Morton said. “I thought I’d be able to learn some more or get outside more than I usually would, let alone get a grade for it.”

His teacher, Ross, has taught in Tucson for eight years, and he’s always found a way to fund his own passion for adventure. During summer breaks, Ross would help lead backpacking trips for kids in Yosemite.

Tanque Verde High School recruited him to teach English, and he discussed the idea of the program with the principal.

“I always had this duality between being in the classroom and then being outside teaching kids about nature and adventuring,” Ross noted. “At Tanque Verde, an opportunity presented itself where I could merge those two things.”

The high school funded the program with backpacks, outdoor stoves, sleeping bags and five mountain bikes. In the class, Ross developed a curriculum packed with lessons on flora and fauna, leave no trace principles, and national parks. In the club, he scheduled orienteering courses, hiking trips and campouts. The teacher also started a Mountain Biking Club, meeting once a week to test interest for a future team.

It was during one of the program’s excursions the group got the idea for a community trail. Ross addressed the early discussions with his students regarding the project.

“We saw there was this beautiful patch of desert the school owned but wasn’t really accessible to students,” Ross said. “As a class, we started talking and thought it would be cool to build a trail out there.”

The community nature trail is one mile in length near the campus, taking almost a year for the students to finish. The Outdoor Adventure Class worked on the project from the ground up, learning how to design the trail based on erosion, wildlife and user experience.

With expert guests from Flagline Trails and the Sonoran Desert Mountain Bicyclists, Ross’ students developed the path with preservation in mind. Freshman Irelynn Mcgrath noted how every cut of palo verde and creosote is done to prioritize wildlife regeneration.

“I’ve learned how to cut branches and help keep the trees alive,” Mcgrath said. “I chose the class because I wanted to try something new and get more into nature. It’s been really fun.”

Ross has watched his students learn and grow through the program, and after a final “brushing” of the trail, they’re excited to complete it. The class plans to open it in the coming weeks for both the school and the Tanque Verde community.

Not only will the trail be used by other extracurricular clubs like cross country, but classes like Environmental Science and AP Biology will study the wildlife along it. It’s cross-curriculum opportunities like these the teacher believes are key to keeping students engaged in learning.

“It creates these organic, genuine learning experiences that are hard to replicate in a classroom setting,” Ross said. “I’ve seen how experiences in nature can have these profound, positive impacts on youth and really transform their outlooks.”

Along with aiding in the curriculum, the Outdoor Adventure Program has helped some students out of their comfort zones. Freshman Jennifer Coronato had always believed she was fearless up until a field trip on a high ropes course.

The class allowed her to face her fear little by little, and now, she climbs regularly at a local bouldering gym. Coronato had also never used a saw or loppers before the class. Now, she gets excited every time Ross’ class is out to work on the trail.

“It’s been super rewarding,” Coronato said. “I’ve learned about wildlife like the palo verde, snakes and cacti. I’ve also learned a lot about hard work, and how if you work hard, it’s going to be very rewarding.”

Due to the success of the program, TVHS will make room for a second cohort of the class and a Mountain Biking team for next year. They also plan to build a rock climbing wall on school grounds. For now, Ross and his students prepare to celebrate the new trail with the community.

This article appears in Apr 6-12, 2023.