In preparation for the fall semester, Southwest Open School in Cortez has announced roster of “exciting” classes and shared information about new campus additions.
The first day of class at SWOS is slated for Monday, Aug. 12, and Director Casey Simpson told The Journal that the school still has some enrollment openings. To be eligible for the fall intensive, students must complete registration by Aug. 12. Those who enroll after the Aug. 12 deadline will be registered for Quarter 1 classes, which will begin Tuesday, Sept. 3.
Simpson shared that the fall intensive, on Monday, Aug. 12 through Thursday, Aug. 29, has “some very exciting classes scheduled.”
The first class Simpson mentioned is called “Are Trees the Answer?” This class will teach students more about trees, ending with a class trip to California.
Simpson said the class studies “different types of trees, the climates/ecosystems that support those trees, and the class trip takes students out to California to see the Redwoods.”
The next class, titled “Utopia,” teaches students about the different forms of governments and societies, delving into psychology and asking students to design their own utopia or dystopia.
“Boots on the Ground” combines hiking with geography.
“This class combines hiking and exploring our local natural world in order to study unique local/regional geographic features,” Simpson said.
Students will learn about types of communication and relationships in the “Friends” class.
“This class will focus on the types of communication, studies best practices for developing healthy relationships, psychology, and how we can be more united, friendly, kind even and especially when we have differing opinions and viewpoints,” Simpson shared.
Another class, “SWOSology,” will be run in two cohorts to teach students about problem solving, conflict resolution, assertive communication, mood management, culture and more. This class is a “general onboarding” class for students new to SWOS, according to Simpson.
Any trips that students take with SWOS over the course of the school year are free of charge and all necessary camping and/or outdoor gear are provided.
This fall, the school’s new four seasons greenhouse will also be operational for student use. Simpson shared that the greenhouse is equipped with lighting, watering and heating systems that will allow SWOS students to grow food year-round, even during the winter months.
To expand SWOS’s art program, a new pottery kiln has been installed, and the school’s maker space trailer is gearing up for Year 2 of the entrepreneurship class, which is made possible through Cortez local Justice Ramos’s Fundamental Needs Organization.
