For the week of March 13 - 19, 2002

Wisdom is found in unlikely locale

A new wilderness school opens near Arco

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By DANA DUGAN
Express Staff Writer

Where can a troubled teen obtain that elusive wisdom, given the conflicting messages of modern day life? Learning to be responsible for the environment we live in is an integral aspect of maturing. And to help that process, John Tucker and Monte MacConnell began working over two years ago on a concept they call Wisdom Ranch.

Mule-drawn sleighs are one of the many experiences Wisdom Ranch students will encounter. Courtesy photo

Their vision was for a place that would address the needs of adolescents who don’t need intervention crisis centers or long term therapeutic care.

Instead, this ranch—which opened in December—acts as an interim place, lasting five months, where it can "provide an arena to establish confidence and success—that’s our motive," Tucker said.

Located on a working ranch in the foothills of the Pioneer Mountains between Arco and Craters of the Moon National Monument, the mission of the school is to "promote the excellence of young people and families."

Through ranch work, academics, individualized adventure trips, relationships and experiences, students discover their "authenticity and common purpose." They are challenged to live in the present and set goals for their futures.

Both MacConnell and Tucker have many years experience working with troubled adolescents at programs such as the SUWS Adolescent Program in Shoshone.

MacConnell, a U.S. Marine veteran of Desert Storm, also worked as a cattle ranch manager, and has run various therapeutic wilderness trips.

A philosophy and psychology major in college, Tucker manages the administrative side of Wisdom Ranch School from a home in Hailey. Students are referred through education consultants around the country. At present, there are three male students living at the ranch—two from the Washington, D.C., area, and one from Chicago. The total capacity will eventuality be for 30 students.

The students and mentors live in yurts on Wisdom Ranch. One yurt provides the sleeping area, while another houses the kitchen and bathroom facilities. Both are heated by wood stoves that the students are responsible for replenishing and keeping lit. They are also self-sufficient thanks to solar electricity panels and natural spring water available on the ranch, which is used for the showers, bathrooms, sinks and to feed the livestock. The students are also responsible for the meals and the upkeep and cleanliness of the entire ranch.

Before a student can enter the group, he participates in an extended Adventure Interview, which may include rock climbing, mountaineering, backpacking, cross country skiing or river travel. The purpose is to evaluate the students' commitment to Wisdom Ranch and to identify their own goals for the program.

"We’re not building something static," the Adventure director, Chris Moore, said. "We take advantage of the kids involvement to include them specifically."

Moore, who was a survival instructor for the U.S. Air Force at Fairchild, Wash., said the training there is very similar to what he does with teens.

Every five weeks, each student's family comes to the ranch to participate in a series of experiential workshops, which focus on communication. "When relationships improve, those things improve," Tucker said.

Tucker is quick to point out that the school is not a treatment center, though some kids may have already gone that route.

"Kids have to want to be here. We’re focusing on things like drugs and alcohol as symptoms of the problems," not the problems themselves. The students need a safe environment with a goal of going back home and learning to work in a traditional environment, Tucker said. "We want to mainstream these kids."

While living on the ranch, the students care for horses, mules and 100 head of cattle.

They leave the school having earned a minimum of six Idaho state high school credits, as an extension of the Arco Alternative School.

Wood River Valley educator Barge Levy, of the Silver Creek Alternative School, is the education consultant, and Certified teacher, Dori Them, acts as the on-site academic facilitator. Other staff members include student mentor Dan Hayes, who also worked at SUWS and the Silver Creek Alternative School, and Ranch Manager Jody Lapp.

Two thousand acres and an ounce of wisdom will get you home.

"Our philosophy is to help students discover what’s already inside them."

 

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