DALLAS –– The leading provider of outdoor skill, safety and conservation curriculum to schools nationwide—the Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation—launches its unique Outdoor Adventures program in nine middle schools in Springfield, Missouri, beginning in fall 2019. And 13 North Texas middle and high schools are receiving 3-D archery target sets.
“Thanks to a private donation from three Dallas businessmen, students in Springfield Public Schools will get to experience a year-long outdoor education curriculum,” said OTF Executive Director Sean McLelland. “And the Sportsmen’s Club of Fort Worth stepped up with a $36,000 grant for 3-D targets for middle and high schools. This is a true ‘win’ for everyone—the schools and the boys and girls who participate. Students enrolled in our Outdoor Adventures classes have improved self-esteem, higher class attendance, fewer disciplinary problems and greater scholastic achievement.”
The Outdoor Adventures program coming to Springfield is a fun, interactive course where students are taught lifelong skills using an integrated curriculum made up of math, science, writing and critical thinking skills. The detailed lesson plans cover angler education, archery, hunter education, boater education, orienteering, survival skills, camping, outdoor cooking, challenge course, backpacking, mountain bike camping, paddle sports, rock climbing, shooting sports, CPR/first aid and fauna, flora and wilderness medicine.
In Tarrant County, Texas, the 13 area schools are getting six 3-D archery targets each including lifelike versions of a bear, coyote, bighorn sheep, whitetail deer and an antelope. The targets give participants a more realistic practice for archery hunting and enable students to participate in state and national 3-D archery competitions.
“Getting the grant from the OTF for the 3-D targets is huge for our kids,” said Danny Wilcox, Outdoor Adventures teacher at Kennedale High School. “Being a Title 1 school, these grants are incredible and much-needed to help ensure the youth of today of all ethnicities and socio-economic backgrounds are getting hands-on exposure to the outdoor heritage we all love so much.”
Founded in 1981 in Dallas, Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation is a public nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. For many schools, grant money offsets the cost, plus OTF offers matching funds for equipment as new schools join the program. The resulting classes can be taught as a P.E. course, local elective or with agricultural science and wildlife management.
The Outdoor Adventures education program is offered in 464 schools in 30 states nationwide reaching over 46,000 students this past year.
Through OA, more than 11,000 students received their state’s hunter education certifications as part of the course in calendar year 2017. The Outdoor Adventures curriculum is aligned with the National Standards NPE K1-12.1.7. The program includes an established curriculum and daily lesson plans covering a wide range of subjects including an end of unit exam. For a complete listing of the courses offered through the Outdoor Adventures program please visit our website at www.GoOTF.com.
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Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation
The Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation (OTF) is a 501(c)(3) that began in 1981 to teach outdoor education and fund and promote wildlife conservation efforts worldwide. www.GoOTF.com.