As a psychology student (substance abuse use disorder counseling), this was the school for me. This…read morecampus is beautiful, financial aid advisors are amazing along with instructors and counselors being helpful on your academic journey. With 7 semesters to go before transferring to UC for my masters, I'm happy I chose Columbia to start my dreams in my higher education goals. Go Claim Jumpers!

I decided to apply in 2021 and got my Associates in 2024. All of the professors are amazing and…read morewant you to succeed. Their counselors are hands on and help you plan your degree path step-by-step as well as finding educators that cater to your learning style. This school is affordable and offer grants to help you succeed because those books can be so expensive. Not to mention the campus is so beautiful and is well taken care of.

I once knew and had visited this establishment as the Regional Learning Center while a part of the…read moreFresno Unified School District. Before that it was known as the Five Mile Job Corp, and now we know it as Sierra Outdoor School. (Please read the SOS history here: https://sos.cusd.com/History.aspx ) I am happy to report that every time I have been here, (once in as a student back in 1992,) and twice as a chaperone (2016 and 2022), that they continue to uphold excellence science and ecological education. I don't speak for all children, who I have found will roll their eyes to the idea of conserving our world, to students who find traversing hills to learn more about nature as an arduously unnecessary task, that this school is truly a great experience. The Naturalists who teach here are patient, kind, knowledgeable, and inclusive of the every one of the children's differences. They are a forward thinking lot who continuously reflect on our past successes to better contribute to our future. From the life lessons we can learn from Teddy Roosevelt to the deeply rooted connections to nature by the Iroquois and Apache. Our students covered the 2 night camping trip both times and had a slightly different itinerary. (But I've come to learn that some schools are offered 5-day camping experiences to get the entirety of what SOS has to offer.) Classes experienced were as follows: High Ropes: Climb 32 ft while triple suspended and belayed to one of two courses, the Burma Bridge (crossing a wire bridge w/wire hand holds), and the Catwalk (a telephone pole laid horizontally), and cross towards the main zip line podium. The kids were able to experience this at their own preferred levels. A fee kids remained in their comfort zone by zip lining with no hesitation while others would get a strapped in, climb a peg or two, and head back to solid ground. Badger was the main Naturalist for the High Ropes adventure and he was here doing great things with the kids over 6 years ago! Silent Mile: during the first mile and half, we experienced various stopping and learning points in regards to ecology, biotic and abiotic, biome, classifying animals by what they eat, etc. Later on we were able to experience the Silent Mile where each child was separated, 20 seconds at a time, walking and taking in their experiences and the cards placed by the Naturalist, Sequoia, to reflect upon. Chaperones and teachers were inserted every 3-4 students to ensure safety. We followed that up with an experience called Heart Attack Hill. You can traverse it however you would like, but the one we went on was a longer but easier version of the steeper/shorter one that I remembered running 6 years ago. Lastly, the kids were given magnifying glasses and instructions to examine the world around them. Wilderness Survival: We had Foster (Slime Mold) guide us through understanding how better to be prepared in our environment. From a fun compass usage exercise, to building our own shelter in the elements. Night Hike: Shirley (Tiger Lily) was our naturalist for this learning experience. We were able to enjoy a beautifully lit sky once camp had turned off the light pollution. She also taught us about our eyes, red light use, and how important they are to each and every living creature. Roaring Relays: Wide varying challenges across a gym room floor. Campardy: Large groups of kids take turns competing against each other to answer questions about what they've learned so far. Previously we had done Owl Pellet Dissection, arrowhead carving, and Dull Axe Excavation of tree bark and within soil. Some things had changed, but the interactive fun doesn't stop.

This was an amazing place! Great place for the kids to learn the outdoors. When you come, don't…read moreexpect that you will be chilling sitting somewhere. We were here 3 days and on a time crunch. We wake up, eat, and off we go on a hike. Next is lunch, next hike. After that dinner, then night class till 9:00 at night. Up at 6:30am. Why I gave it 4 stars, the food for the most part was good, but you could tell a lot of the food came from a can or was frozen. Which I guess is fine when your feeding hundreds of kids. The salad bar for the adults was awesome!! Thank you! Also, the beds were not very comfortable, but it could have been way worse. The showers are super small and there is only 3 showers per side of the cabin. Plus the walls in the cabin are super thin so you can hear everyone get up to use the bathroom. Other than that this is something your child should experience. Totally worth it!!

Sure enjoyed my time today with the 1st graders, reading to them, going over…read morethe words that they know or the words where they need practice. I liked their energy. I will volunteer once a week, its nice to walk in another persons shoes, and the primary grade school teacher was a true dedicated educator.

this school is awesome. I'm a student and I love it here the teachers are funny and the kids are…read more nice.

It was the funniest time but it would be sometimes really hot and cold but overall it was the best…read moretime

I just got home from sixth grade camp one of the best experiences I've ever had I definitely…read morerecommend also Allison is one of the nicest people I've ever met along with all the other staff

A beautiful setting where children remain off screens and learn through innovative and…read moreparticipative methods.

I need to share my experience in case it can save another family some of the pain and exclusion…read moremine experienced. This school is precariously held together by yarn, passive-aggressive "conversations," and unpaid labor. Even if you are parenting on easy mode with a picture-perfect neurotypical child, you should know that this school pays their teachers very little, loses them frequently, and then often scrambles to fill that teaching position at the last minute. They do not magically find someone with a teaching credential to fill that job, they just find someone from their in-crowd who says yes. Your child could start their school year with a teacher who has no real background in education and standards outside of Waldorf's extremely insular world. However, if you happen to have a neurodivergent child, I would urge you to stay away from this school. My son was attending the early childhood program but I was frequently being called to pick him up early for behavior issues. I was in constant communication with his teacher and others at the school begging for help and direction. We were trying everything we could at home, but my kid was clearly struggling, and no one quite understood why. Despite supposedly being early childhood experts, Waldorf teachers and staff NEVER ONCE mentioned that maybe we should get an evaluation for autism/ADHD/etc. Instead they recommended diet changes and reiki. I wish I were joking. This cost us years of figuring out what was really going on. Eventually, they "asked us" to leave the school (but not until after I had finished a really big project for their Halloween production!!!). We were strongly socially ostracized afterwards, in an already small town. They have absolutely no support services available and seem to have no interest in providing them. A parent to a Waldorf student who works locally as a special education teacher in public schools even volunteered to help provide some support for students with special needs at Sierra Waldorf. The school turned her down! Waldorf schools are based on the works of Rudolf Steiner, who held some pretty problematic beliefs, including eugenics. I guess Sierra Waldorf is staying true to their roots. Before we joined the school, Waldorf looked a bit like a cult to me based on the behavior of the people I knew who were already in it. Now that I've seen it on the inside, that conviction stands stronger than ever.

My daughter has attended there for almost 3 years, I love the "homey" feel. They are great at…read morecommunication, and it feels like family. They are accommodating to my daughters food allergies and other medical issues. I couldn't ask for a better preschool.

We called at the end of last year to put our kids on the waitlist. We thought we were good. When we…read morecame in to tour the school towards the end of the day at the beginning of this year, we came in towards end of the day and waited for awhile until other parents were done picking their kids up. Then, we were told that we need to come back another time because they didn't have enough staff as some of them were sick. (That's fine but I wished they either gave us a call, as a courtesy, or told us right away to come back another time). We called them another time and were told we have to submit the paperwork to put on the waitlist (I wish they told us earlier) and decided to give them another chance and came back another time to give them our application for 1 of our kid. We knew the waitlist was long and came back another time to give them another application for our 2nd kid. As of now, we haven't heard back from them. Of course, we were lucky enough to find spots at other daycares who accepted 2 of our kids. However, we felt like we were profiled and ignored. That's quite unprofessional. I talked to another parent who had good experience with this daycare but we did not.

Oh My God!!! We just finished an amazing experience with Chef Ron…read more Best way to describe it is to first tell you all of the guys in our group were grumbling about having to take a "cooking class". By the time we left, they were all absolutely blown away by how all of these ingredients could turn into this delicious meal. All while drinking a glass of wine and laughing. What a great day and looking forward to make many more memories with many more people!!!

Really awesome. Find Ron and his family run a superb cooking school. Just 3 hours to learn how to…read moredo whether it be desserts, breads, german food, sauces, sausages et cetera et cetera.