8th Grade Experiences

Montezuma Cortez Middle School

Requested Amount: $2500

Donation Amount: $250

The 8th grade teachers at MCMS would like to be able to take our students on a number of field trips, both around the 4 corners area, and beyond.

MCMS students often struggle with issues of attendance and motivation. One of the ways that 8th grade teachers have found effective for getting students excited and bought in to school is field trips, spaced throughout the year. We would like to take students on a few day trips this year, leading up to an overnight trip to Denver which would include college tours. We hope that these activities will help our students get out of their comfort zones and start to think about their futures.

These trips would include:

Trail Canyon Ranch-- students get science lessons in on a beautiful private ranch in McElmo Canyon, learning about biodiversity from an expert local horticulturalist and hiking to a nearby waterfall.

Southern Ute Museum-- Students will tour the Southern Ute museum (including many hands on and interactive activities) and participate in activities with the museum director. This museum helps build confidence and pride in culture for our native students. They will also get to have pizza and go bowling at the Southern Ute Casino next door!

Denver/CSU Trip-- this multi-day trip will get students thinking ahead to their futures! They will tour Adams State University in Alamosa, CSU in Fort Collins, as well as hitting a Rockies Game, a mystery dinner theater experience, and the museum of natural science. Students get a change to experience the big city and learn about colleges.

Our school is generally 1/3 native (both Navajo and Ute Mt. Ute), 1/3 hispanic, and 1/3 white. We have a high level of poverty, and many of our students struggle with food insecurity, drug use, attendance issues, and domestic abuse.