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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend August 24, 2005 Greg Guevara of Medford has opened a private boarding school in Southern Oregon. Students at the Academy for Global Exploration will be based at a rural setting outside Talent when they�re not traveling abroad or taking part in adventure sports. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Boarding school to stress travel, exploration By BILL KETTLER Mail Tribune Greg Guevara came home to Southern Oregon to create his dream job. Guevara left a teaching job in Eugene to resurrect a private boarding school that combines traditional academics with a heavy dose of international travel and adventure sports such as kayaking, rock climbing and skiing. "It’s everything I love to do," said Guevara, 28, who graduated from South Medford High School in 1995 and earned a master’s degree in education from the University of Oregon. "I love to teach. I love to travel. I love all these sports." Academy for Global Exploration was based in Vermont when Guevara taught there in 2002. Financial problems forced the school to close in 2003, and Guevara jumped at the chance to revive it — on the condition that he could move it to the Rogue Valley. "This area is perfect for all the things AGE focuses on," he said, noting Southern Oregon’s abundant outdoor attractions and rich cultural environment. Advertisement "The year I did it as a teacher changed my life," he said. "That’s why I’m so passionate about getting it started again." The school will provide instruction in standard courses in nontraditional settings for students in grades nine through 12. Curriculum materials will come from Portland State University’s Independent Study program, and student progress will be assessed by certified teachers employed by PSU. Portland State supervises independent study programs for about 2,000 students, most of whom live in Oregon and southwest Washington, said Rebecca Robinson, program manager for independent study. Guevara will help students through the curriculum, like a tutor, along with Laura Rogers, a certified teacher who also graduated from South Medford High School. They will incorporate the natural environment and outdoor activities into lessons wherever they can. In a math class, for example, students might calculate how much weight their climbing rope can absorb before it breaks. Students will spend 10 weeks of each 16-week semester traveling. They’ll live with instructors on the road, cook and plan meals together, and study the local culture between lessons on history, math, English and the sciences. "We can do all these things because we have the kids 24/7," he said. During the school’s inaugural year in Southern Oregon, students will visit the American Southwest and travel to the Greek island of Kalymnos to climb rocks that attract athletes from all over the world. "Our motto is ‘The world is our classroom,’ " he said. "Everywhere we go we can learn something." Guevara said the school has a strong commitment to adventure sports because young people build self-confidence when they master outdoor skills. He and Rogers have strong backgrounds in sports such as skiing and climbing. "We teach all the outdoor skills," he said. "Students don’t need to have any prior experience, but they need to understand we’re doing (kayaking or skiing or climbing) on an almost every-day basis." Guevara said boarding schools like AGE are relatively common in the Eastern states but they’re still something of a novelty in much of the West. He acknowledged that the school’s tuition — $13,500 per semester, $27,000 per year — sounds steep, but it’s right in the middle when compared to the fees charged by private schools in New England, where tuition ranges from $24,000 to $37,000 per year. Tuition covers all student living expenses except overseas air fare. Students must also buy their own books. Classes will start Monday, but Guevara is still busily wrapping up the nuts and bolts of establishing a new private school. He said he has registered as a nonprofit corporation in Oregon and is seeking accreditation from the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools in Boise. Total enrollment is limited to 15 students. Although just two students have registered so far, Guevara said the school still hopes to pick up a few more before the year gets too far along. If not, students will enjoy one of the best faculty-to-student ratios anywhere, Guevara said. "It’s one-to-one right now," he said. Greg Guevara will host an information session about AGE at 7 p.m. tonight at the Medford Central Library in the Adams Room. For more information about AGE, visit www.agexplore.org on the Web. Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492, or e-mail Boarding school to stress travel, exploration ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. 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