The outdoor school flyer in the Lower Commons of South Salem High School
Northwest Regional Outdoor Science School (NROSS) is a four-day overnight environmental science school designed for elementary and middle school students. In addition, high school and college students are given the opportunity to volunteer as student leaders.
NROSS has five sites located throughout northwest Oregon. There are three forest sites: Tickle Creek, Cedar Ridge and Arrah Wanna. There are also two beach sites: Meriwether and Magruder, both in Tillamook.
Student leaders will live in a cabin with an assigned group of students, which can range from eight to 14. They assist staff members with outdoor activities and support the students, such as showing excitement and encouragement.
Since student leaders are in charge of their cabin, they become the caretakers of these students. Even though teenagers are not usually put in this situation, it allows them to create new skills and experiences that they could only get through putting themselves out there.
The most crucial skill that I have learned is picking up on social cues, meaning knowing when a kid needs a break, feeling homesick or had a fight with a friend without evening needing to speak to them and just simply noting to check on them when it is less crowded, in order not to draw too much attention,
Forest Grove High School student, Jackie Henson ‘27, said.
Staff members are also involved, whether it be creating an activity for the students or helping out the student leaders. Field Instructors lead Field Study, which is when students are educated on local nature and the environment around them. They prepare activities that surround the idea of the scientific process, such as creating a hypothesis and collecting data. An example of this is having students attempt to catch critters in different areas of the on-site pond. This allows students to create a hypothesis on where they are most likely to find a critter and collect their data.
Program leaders are in charge of student leaders and their cabins. They ensure that a positive and supportive atmosphere is upheld throughout the week and take any measures to help students or student leaders.
The staff members at NROSS helped my experience by being kind and welcoming and making sure that we all had a good experience and checking in on us asking us if we needed a to take a minute if they saw we were starting to get overwhelmed or stressed,
South Salem High School student, Destinay Hyatt ‘26 said.
The sense of community is highly valued at NROSS. The connection from staff members to student leaders and students is considered a valuable part of creating a good experience. Both the student leaders and students are put into a new environment that they may not have experienced before.
All of us were aware we could lean on each other, made sure the kids had the best time even with the harsh weather, and still are in contact with one another,
Henson ‘27 said.
Similar environments, skills, or relationships may be used in jobs. Having the added experience allows teenagers to gain knowledge on careers they may want to pursue or are interested in. Volunteering at NROSS gives each student leader about 100 volunteer hours and the opportunity to gain college credit at Portland Community College.
I was convinced to do NROSS because I want to be a pediatric nurse when I am older, so I thought this would be a good place to get practice with helping children,
South Student Ester Cazares ‘25 said.
