Partnership

“I’ve seen the quality of this program and the quality of this camp through the eyes of an educator, and I’ve also seen it through the eyes of a parent,” Papillion La Vista Community Schools Superintendent Andrew Rikli, Ed.D. noted. “I’m just deeply grateful for the opportunities that the camp has offered our students and our families.”

Outdoor Education has been a tradition for 6th graders at Papillion La Vista Community Schools for more than 40 years—first at Hitchcock Park then at the Eastern Nebraska 4-H Camp.

When the 4-H camp closed in 2020, panic swept the students and teachers with a fear that Outdoor Ed. would be coming to an end. Then the administration discovered Carol Joy Holling Camp, Conference & Retreat Center.

“The one common theme that we have found is the importance of collaboration—the emphasis on kids getting to experience the outdoors in an authentic way, and then having the facilities to support all of that,” Dr. Rikli added. “This camp has been able to accommodate all of those things, and it’s just been a terrific experience.”

Through this partnership, Papillion La Vista students have been able to participate in a two-day outdoor education experience that includes both science and social-emotional curriculum.

“Outdoor Ed. is designed to be a multidisciplinary experience, that is it includes elements of social studies, science, and physical education, but at its core, it really is a community-building experience,” Dr. Rikli explained.

“Kids build community amongst other students, amongst other 6th graders that they may not have much experience with.”

The Papillion La Vista school district has 16 elementary schools, and schools hold their Outdoor Ed. experiences in pairs. This means 6th graders not only learn and grow with peers from their school, but also another elementary school in the district.

“It really is about building relationships and building community—not only with students, but with staff members—and communing with the great outdoors, and that’s a pretty cool thing to see,” Dr. Rikli expressed.

For many students, the highlight is the one day they stay into the evening for a presentation from Wildlife Encounters, as well as campfire activities and an astronomy lesson.