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.
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.
Thank you to our growing list of endowment supporters
Connor Allen
Finn Allen
Kim & Paddy Allen
Sierra Anderson
Carolyn Cerise Barabe
Brigitte Birrfelder
Elizabeth & Stuart Bohart
Olivia Bond
Mae Bory
Stephanie Braudis
Kimbo Brown-Schirato
Carla Buffulin
Alexander Bush
Marla Butler
Alex Buysse
Catherine Chamberlin
Kendall Clark
Terri Cluck
Kathy Conley
Isabella Courtenay-Morris
Shayla DeYoung
Bente Doolan
Bruce & Kathy Dreher
Christopher Dreher
Ashlyn Dunn
Ashley & Andrew Ernemann
Kristen & Steve Fitzgerald
Tim & Ginna Francis
Susan Frasier
Jenah Fuechsel
John Galambos
Marta Galambos
Christy Garfield
Sarah Graber
Muriel Greening
Missy Greis
David Gull
Flournoy & Evan Gull
Jaime Gull
Selby Hall
Donna & John Halverson
Elizabeth Hansen
Nick Harris
Ruth Harrison
David Hatch
Kathy Hegberg
Sue Helm
Sacha & Kirk Hinderberger
Jamie Horn
Jonah Horowitz
Maria Jennings
Kerri Johnson
Katherine & William Kluchko
Nick Kern
Yvonne Klausmann
Mackenzie Langley
Georgina Levey
Rachel Levy
Melony & Adam Lewis
Beyron Lindenau
Reghan Mahaffey
Tom Markalunas
Max Marolt
Katie & Hugh Marsh
Karina Marx
Jennifer & Joe Mason
Donna McFlynn
Elizabeth McGann
Katie McManus
Virginia Meyers
Valerie Miller
Deborah Murphy
Martin O’Brien
Annie Pausback
Joe Pausback
The Penner Family Foundation
Karen Petersen
Denise Petrash
Tanja Poirier
Maureen & Greg Poschman
Becky Potter
Anita Rayburn
Graciela Robertson
Rebecca Robinson
Hunter Ross
Mollie Rusher
Heather Ryerson
Claudia Salmeron
Peter Secrist
Francesca Seeman
Sarah & Richard Shaw
Layne Shea
Noah Shore
Kalli Gustafson Sinclair
Griff Smith
Olivia Snyder
Andrea Soonthornswad
Elizabeth Stewart-Severy
Maggi Thompson
Doug Throm
Margie Throm
Gina & Andrew Turchin
Noelani & William Vonstocken
Alison Weems
Karin Wehse
Alex Wells
Alan Whitaker
Beth & Pierre Wille
Marusya Yeghinyan
Alexander Yeiser
Jessie Young
ZG-Chicks
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