Camping Trip to the Blue Range
Our first camping to the Blue Range in New Mexico as part of our fledgling new freshman orientation program (along with a couple senior student leaders) was incredible! It was the first time for some students to set up a tent, cook food outside, and enjoy a spectacular night sky. However, whatever the experience level, […]
Mt. Lemmon Ecology Trip 2019
Students in the Regional Ecosystems class spent the day exploring and documenting each of the major life zones in the Catalina Mountains, as an extension of what they have been learning in class regarding the Sky Islands region. The students made six stops along the Catalina Highway, where they recorded observations about how various factors […]
Sophomore Trip to Sierrita Mine and San Xavier del Bac
Students in the 10th grade, who are in both Earth Science and US/AZ History, were able to take a ‘double header’ field trip on the same day to experience what they have been learning in both classes! First, as an extension of their studies in class related to the process of mining, as well as […]
US/AZ History Class Field Trip to Hirabayashi Prison Camp
Following their studies in class related to the struggle of minority groups in the 20th century, students in the US/AZ History class were able to learn about the painful experience of Japanese American internment during World War II firsthand by exploring the Honor Camp, a prison camp that held Japanese Americans during the war, at […]
All-School Tree Planting Day
On March 14th, Sky Islands’ student community successfully came together in an all-school, student-led event and planted forty-three trees in our habitat restoration site! This project was part of the Restoration Ecology class, where students had to plan, organize and execute the entire tree planting day. The planning period lasted two months, and students were […]
Congressman Raul Grijalva Visits Sky Islands for Climate Change Panel
Sky Islands was privileged to welcome Congressman Grijalva to speak to the students about his views regarding climate change and its affect on the Southwest, as well as the actions he is undertaking in Washington to try and meet the challenge of climate change in the 21st century. The Congressman spoke passionately on the topic, […]
UofA Climate Change Series
Sky Islands is hosting a five week-long series of speakers and activities open to the public that are related to the current impacts of climate change on our environment, economy, and society, as well as addressing the ways in which we can mitigate and prevent these impacts from escalating. In week one, Dr. Jeremy Weiss, […]
Urban Horticulture Class Fall 2018
Students in the Urban Horticulture class began the semester by learning the ins and outs of harvesting our organic produce for our school’s kitchen, and prepared our existing garden beds for the cool season crops. With the aid of Sky Islands partner Little John and his backhoe, they also dug out a sunken bed, and […]
All-School Buffelgrass Removal Day
On Thursday, December 20th, Sky Islands students and teachers came together as a community to remove invasive buffelgrass and other non-native grasses from around the school campus. Buffelgrass, which is originally from East Africa, is a major threat to our desert environment as it outcompetes native plant species and encourages widespread and very hot fires, which […]