Riverstone International School teams up with Cascade Raft and Kayak to take students out rafting as part of the school's robust outdoor education program.
Riverstone International is a private school in Boise with roughly 300 students from preschool through 12th grade. On Friday, the kids got the opportunity to raft down the lower Main Payette with guides from Cascade Raft and Kayak.
WATCH HERE: See these kids load up and raft down the river—
"The kids love being in the boat and yelling at each other and having water fights," said Derek Wright, the outdoor director with Riverstone. "Cascade Raft and Kayak has been doing this for 15 years with us, and we really appreciate their partnership."
Wright told Idaho News 6 that Riverstone has a slogan... not all classrooms have walls. The outdoor program aims to teach students lessons on leadership, resiliency, and real-world problem-solving.
Rafting is a team sport and a perfect way to kick off the school year for kids and parents.
"We could not imagine a better school," said Shannon Kelleher, a parent. "I know the curriculum is phenomenal as well, but it was the outdoor program that drew us in; kids thrive in the outdoors."
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Following the pandemic and with the next generation growing up on screens, Riverstone makes it a point to get kids outdoors. The students had a blast rafting down the river, and it was fun to ask them what they liked about it.
"The big rapids because you get splashed in water... and it is so fun," said Kallen, a second grader. "Sometimes you go over them and you get to go in the air," responded Ethan, another second grader.
Many of the students go on to have careers in the outdoors, as middle school and high school kids can take electives where they learn how to be outdoor leaders. In these courses, they can get certified in wilderness first aid and even get their wilderness first responder certification.
"Riverstone also features an academic component in our outdoor program," said Wright. "We get our outdoor educators into the classroom, connecting curriculum with what they are learning in the classroom to doing something outside."
Riverstone International also takes students backpacking as they will go into the Eagle Cap Wilderness in the Wallowas, the Frank Church Wilderness of No Return, and the Sawtooths.
