School Groups

Standard Components of the CASE Program

Depending upon the desires of each group, KSS incorporates the following components into a school’s program.

Scientific Inquiry: KSS specializes in offering a spectrum of approaches to teaching the scientific process. Science is made accessible to all levels by offering learning opportunities that range from informal exploratory investigations to thorough student or project driven research projects that incorporate the scientific method, research techniques, technology, and analysis. This is included to the level desired by the teacher. 

Team Building: Depending on the desires of the teachers, KSS uses team building activities to inspire positive and productive communication skills, break through social barriers, and to incorporate trust, camaraderie, and fun into the learning environment.

Community Responsibility: Students are encouraged and expected to take responsibility for their own belongings, respect their classmates’ property and privacy, participate in cabin and bathroom cleanup, and assist with serving and clean-up of meals in the dining hall. All of these activities give students the opportunity to practice inclusive behavior, forge new friendships, and learn new social skills as part of the KSS community.

Cross-Country Ski Lesson and/or Snowshoeing (seasonal): These activities are part of winter programs at KSS. Through step-by-step instruction, students learn the basics of cross-country skiing or snowshoeing. All winter program field courses are then conducted on skis or snowshoes.

Non-biased Approach: Students learn critical thinking skills in the contextual model of the environment to learn new perspectives.

Academic Themes

Keystone Science School’s School Groups program offers theme-based curriculum that is tailored to each school’s academic level, needs and desires. KSS combines teaching science concepts, team building and scientific research in a way that is desired by the classroom teacher. Through providing pre- and post-trip lessons, KSS delivers an experience for teachers and students that begins before they arrive and continues after they leave KSS. Teachers are encouraged to choose a theme that aligns with the curriculum currently being studied in the classroom. As listed below, each theme is aligned with Colorado Science Standards for Kindergarten through 12th grades. For any visit less than three nights, a group will focus on only one theme. During longer trips, more than one theme may be studied.

Themes Offerred

Forest Ecology
Fire Ecology Environemntal Issue
Wolf Management
Aquatic Ecology
Mining and Water Quality Environmental Issue
Earth Science
Snow Science

For more information about the School Groups Programs contact Annemarie Fussell at (970) 468-2098.