The Aspen School District’s Outdoor Ed program has been alive and well for over 50 years. Since the first trip embarked upon in 1968, our students have been hiking, skinning, using Aspen trees for sunscreen, camping and surviving a solo. The results: determination, tenacity and a love for our great outdoors. Outdoor Ed is at the heart and soul of public education in Aspen. Our goal is to endow Outdoor Ed so that all future generations have access to this life-changing experience and program.

THE ENDOWMENT

At AEF, we want to ensure that Outdoor Ed/ExEd never gets cut from the school budget. We NEED your help. If 50 years of alumni can come together – we can ensure that our future generations will have the same ODE/ExEd experience. With a fast-changing, digital world, the experience of the outdoors is as important as ever.

Throughout all of our ASD ODE/ExEd programs, students develop a connection with and an appreciation of the outdoors. Talk to any AHS graduate and they will tell a story about the powerful, life-changing impact of their ODE program that expanded their ASD experience well-beyond the classroom. Our students gain valuable technical and interpersonal skills that will serve them well throughout their lifetime. These are experiences that cannot be replicated or taught in a traditional classroom environment.
Bernard Pausback Backpacking

This year, Bernard Pausback, one of the founding teachers of our legendary 8th grade ODE trip passed away. Bernie and his family would often reflect on the incredible program and how it has survived the changing climate of public education, high stakes testing, and standards driven curriculum. The survival of the program has been dependent on new generations of educators and community members who value the combination of soft skills, collaboration, and confidence that these programs have instilled in over 50 years of ASD students.

In honor of Bernie, if you are an alum of the Aspen Outdoor Education program, please consider making a $24 donation to the Aspen Outdoor Education Fund in his memory. This is one dollar for every hour of your 8th grade solo experience. For extra credit, throw in an extra $10 for every pushup you claim to have done during the infamous “Jog and Dip.” In the comments, please include the year that you participated, which route your patrol took to get to Marble, and how many pushups you managed.

Together, we can reach our goal of funding the ODE endowment!
Donate to ODE Endowment

Thank you to our growing list of endowment supporters

Connor Allen

Finn Allen

Kim and Paddy Allen

Carolyn Cerise Barabe

Brigitte Birrfelder

Elizabeth and Stuart Bohart

Olivia Bond

Mae Bory

Stephanie Braudis

Kimbo Brown-Schirato

Carla Buffulin

Alexander Bush

Marla Butler

Catherine Chamberlin

Kendall Clark

Terri Cluck

Kathy Conley

Isabella Courtenay-Morris

Shayla DeYoung

Bente Doolan

Ashlyn Dunn

Kristen and Steve Fitzgerald

Tim & Ginna Francis

Jenah Fuechsel

John Galambos

Marta Galambos

Christy Garfield

Sarah Graber

Muriel Greening

Missy Greis

Donna and John Halverson

David Hatch

Selby Hall

Elizabeth Hansen

Sacha and Kirk Hinderberger

Jamie Horn

Jonah Horowitz

Maria Jennings

Kerri Johnson

Nick Kern

Mackenzie Langley

Georgina Levey

Rachel Levy

Melony and Adam Lewis

Beyron Lindenau

Reghan Mahaffey

Tom Markalunas

Katie and Hugh Marsh

Karina Marx

Jennifer and Joe Mason

Max Marolt

Elizabeth McGann

Katie McManus

Valerie Miller

Deborah Murphy

Virginia Myers

Annie Pausback

Joe Pausback

The Penner Family Foundation

Denise Petrash

Tanja Poirier

Becky Potter

Anita Rayburn

Graciela Robertson

Rebecca Robinson

Hunter Ross

Mollie Rusher

Heather Ryerson

Claudia Salmeron

Layne Shea

Sarah and Richard Shaw

Kalli Gustafson Sinclair

Noah Shore

Olivia Snyder

Andrea Soonthornswad

Elizabeth Stewart-Severy

Maggi Thompson

Margie Throm

Gina and Andrew Turchin

Noelani and William Vonstocken

Alison Weems

Karin Wehse

Alex Wells

Alan Whitaker

Beth and Pierre Wille

Marusya Yeghinyan

Alexander Yeiser

Jessie Young

Let’s reach our goal of $10,000,000

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“14 hours of solo and 1 push up. That cold water did me in that chilly fall day 1976!”

“In memory of Mr. Pausback who was solely responsible for getting me through my 8th grade solo above Marble – and who gave me a love for floating on a river that will always be with me. Thank you Bernie!”

“In memory of my fearless trip leader Willard Clapper, an incredible educator.”