This one's for you
Your parents can read the other page.
Let's talk about whether you'd actually like it here.
AOA is a real public school. You'll still read, write, solve equations, study science and history, take assessments, work with teachers, and have days when you'd rather still be asleep.
But you won't always have to wonder when you're ever going to use what you're learning.
You might like it here if...
School makes you want to figure things out.
You might like AOA if you'd rather figure something out than memorize an answer and forget it; you've ever asked, “When am I actually going to use this?”; you learn better when you can see, touch, measure, build, test, or experience something; or you like technology and being outside.
You care about animals, water, forests, trails, weather, communities, maps, emergency response, conservation, or how things work.
You don't know what you want to do when you grow up and you'd like a chance to actually explore it.
Traditional school hasn't always shown people everything you're capable of.
You're willing to try something you haven't done before.
Here's what you don't have to be
You don't have to already be an outdoor kid.
You don't have to own hiking boots.
You don't have to know how to camp.
You don't have to love bugs.
You don't have to know what career you want.
You don't have to be fearless.
You do have to be willing to learn, participate, work with other people, follow safety expectations, and try.
What school could look like
Sometimes the question starts in a classroom.
Science
Learn how watersheds work.
Field
Collect actual water-quality data.
Math
Analyze what the numbers show.
EAST
Map the results.
ELA
Research the issue and communicate what you found.
Community
Ask what could be done about it.
Same learning. Bigger classroom.
Meaningful technology
Yes, you'll use technology. But there should be a point.
You might use a computer to map something you actually explored. You might analyze data you actually collected. You might use sensors to measure something happening in the environment. You might design something because there's an actual problem to solve. You might research a question because your team needs the answer.
And sometimes? The computer stays closed. Because if you're standing beside a stream trying to understand what's happening in it, sometimes the first thing you need to do is look at the stream.
Technology is a tool.
You're the thinker.
Start with the question. Choose the right tool.
Yes, you still have to do school
We should probably be clear about this part.
AOA isn't a way to escape academics. You'll still have assignments. You'll still be expected to learn. You'll still have standards to master, assessments to take, deadlines to meet, problems to solve, and work that sometimes feels difficult.
The difference is that we're building more opportunities for you to understand why the work matters and what you can do with it.
Yes. There is still math.
Support
Someone should notice when you need help.
AOA includes advisory, mentoring, academic support, intervention, enrichment, counseling, and Student Success Plans because asking for help shouldn't be the only way adults realize you need it. And if you're ready for something harder, we should notice that too.
Gear closet
Forgot it? Need it? Borrow it.
Need a rain jacket? Forgot your water bottle? Don't own the gear you need for that day's learning? Use the Stigma-Free Gear Closet.
No labels.
No explanations.
Just gear.
No explanations.
Just gear.
Everybody gets to learn.
Careers
You don't have to know your future yet.
That's kind of the point.
Middle and high school are supposed to help you discover what you're good at, what matters to you, and what you might want to do next.
Outdoor Conservation Sciences
Outdoor Tourism & Recreation
Outdoor First Responders / EMT & Emergency Services
EAST, technology, mapping, design, and community problem solving
You might find something you want to pursue. You might discover something you definitely don't want to pursue. Both are useful things to learn about yourself.
Student experience
So, is AOA right for you?
Maybe.
You don't have to be an outdoor kid to come to Arkansas Outdoor Academy.
You don't have to have everything figured out.
You don't have to be good at something before you're allowed to learn it.
Come curious. Come willing to work. Come ready to try.
You don't have to be an outdoor kid.
You might become one.