Literacy and Leadership in the Outdoors: Reflections from Time Spent with Adventure Risk Challenge
By Annalynn Mueller, senior English Major
January 8, 2025
Pictured above: ARC Students gathered together to learn
One of the best aspects of the English department at SOU is our extraordinary faculty. On top of teaching and going above and beyond for their students, they are also always researching and learning on the side. Dr. Merrilyne Lundahl, professor of English Studies is currently doing some impactful research with Adventure Risk Challenge (ARC), which she describes as “a positive youth-development organization that centers literacy (including writing, reading, and public speaking) along with leadership and outdoor education.”
Pictured Above: ARC students exploring Yosemite.
Merrilyne’s journey with ARC started in 2015 while she was pursuing her doctoral degree at the University of Nevada Reno. During her time there, she went to hear author Terry Tempest Williams speak at the Sierra Business Council, an event that happened to double as an ARC fundraiser. At the event, two ARC students shared their writing that was completed during one of the summer intensive courses, and Merrilyne was amazed: “The students blew my mind – the poems, and their performance of the poems, exuded so much power – it was so impressive and so persuasive.” As she learned more about ARC (that it was a nonprofit, how they served students, the blend of outdoor education and literacy), she wanted to know more and thought “that it seemed like the perfect organization for a case study.”
From then on, Merrilyne established a partnership with ARC as a researcher. Drawing on her background in writing and composition, her research stemmed from three main areas of interest: place-based education, writing, and civic engagement. By examining all of these things and how they work together she “tried to study ARC as a culture.” To do this she spent a year fully immersing herself in ARC: “reading their curriculum and materials, participating in pre-course training, teaching the ‘grammar blast’ portion of the curriculum,” and serving as an extra adult on staff. After that, she conducted interviews, talked with alumni and staff, “and wrote, and wrote, and wrote.”
All of this research led to Merrilyne’s dissertation focused on “ARC’s rhetorical situations through an ecological model, the relationship between place and writing, and about the complicated idea of educating for citizenship and civic virtue.” Merrilyne learned lots and came out of the experience with many questions. She is “most grateful that [she] still has a relationship with ARC and with the people in the organization.”
Pictured Above: ARC students exploring Yosemite.
Merrilyne now serves on ARC’s advisory council as an academic researcher and helps with ARC’s curriculum and assessment; she is currently involved in two projects. One is focused on how ARC teachers respond to the organization’s unique curriculum and learning environment. The other is focused on how ARC alumni have been impacted by the literacy elements of their ARC experience.
ARC does year round programming for high school students, but Merrilyne’s research is focused on the “immersive summer course,” a month-long course that includes an outdoor leadership curriculum (backpacking, wilderness living, rock climbing, rafting) and an English language arts curriculum (writing workshop, language study, public speaking, and reading).
Thanks to Merrilyne and the staff at ARC, I was lucky enough to volunteer this past summer as a writing coach for the days students are at basecamp (students alternate between backpacking in the Sierras and doing academic days at basecamp). Basecamp, also known as Sagehen Creek Field Station, is a serene camp nestled in the northern Sierra mountain range. With its tall trees, beautiful creeks, and fresh air it was an amazing environment to be a part of. Even participating in such a small part of the summer program, I was astounded by what the students were learning academically, the outdoor experiences they were having, the practical skills they were building, and the kindness of staff/volunteers. From the moment I started working with ARC, I could tell what a special organization it is.
ARC’s summer English curriculum is composed of two main writing assignments that are paired with informal writing and reading. The first writing assignment is a metaphor poem comparing some part of their life or identity to something in nature. The second is a personal essay that asks students to reflect on their time at ARC. As a writing coach this summer, I worked with students on many steps in their writing process. The poem assignment is unique because it not only helps students work on their writing skills, but also helps them develop a sense of self. I was so lucky to work with the students on this assignment as I got to see their personalities and identities shine through the page.
Pictured Above: ARC Student working on poem assignment.
The poems have made an impact on ARC students for years after their courses. As Merrilyne has been conducting her research, she often asks alumni if they remember their metaphor. They often do. One student who participated in the program years ago recalled her metaphor when being interviewed by Merrilyne: “I am a redwood tree.” When Merrilyne asked if she still thought of herself as a redwood tree and she said “every day.” This assignment, along with the whole process of ARC–blending literacy, leadership, and community for a personalized learning experience—impacts students uniquely and powerfully.
The personal-essay assignment is a completely different process than the poem. The students are asked to write a reflection of their month at ARC. Just like with any classroom, ARC students range widely in writing strengths and experiences, but engaging with the writing process can be meaningful regardless of the writer’s skill level. Merrilyne has seen this process be impactful for students who have “never written an essay and feel really good about it, to others who have discovered the power of revision and editing at the sentence level.” She loves seeing the evolution of student writing and students build “more positive identities about themselves as literate beings.”
Working with ARC this past summer was a foundational experience for me in many ways, but especially in thinking about myself as a future teacher. Coaching students in assignments that focus on writing as a process, rather than a product, was refreshing and made me think about what kind of writing I value and want to teach. Working so closely with a small group of students was exciting and helped me build my confidence in my ability to give feedback and encourage growth. Observing ARC staff and fellow volunteers, who were so committed to the students, approach every interaction with care and attention was inspiring. On top of everything I learned, I had fun and got to experience a lovely outdoor learning environment with wonderful humans. I am so grateful for the students who were kind enough to share their experiences with me, for Dr. Merrilyne Lundahl’s confidence in me and willingness to share a piece of her heart by connecting me to this wonderful organization, and to the staff at ARC for trusting me to participate in the course. I hope to take what I learned and observed from my summer with ARC and emulate it in my future classrooms and life.
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