For Plumas Charter School’s new outdoor education teacher, Darcy Page, learning isn’t limited to the classroom—it’s rooted in curiosity, connection and time spent outdoors.
Before joining PCS, Page spent years teaching across the West Coast, including her time as a California State Park Interpreter at Plumas-Eureka State Park. The experience, she said, shaped how she approaches outdoor education today.
“At Plumas-Eureka, I spent a lot of time leading interpretive hikes and programs for visitors of all ages,” Page explained. “I learned how to translate complex ecological and cultural stories into something meaningful and accessible. Working for the parks also reinforced how powerful firsthand experiences can be. When students can see, touch, and feel the landscape, the lessons about ecology, stewardship and interconnection really sink in.”
That curiosity-led, hands-on approach now defines her teaching at PCS, where she helps students learn through inquiry and discovery. She explained that she likes to focus on cultivating a sense of wonder and belonging in the natural world.
One of Page’s first major projects at PCS was a trip to Humbug Valley, also known as Tásmam Koyóm in the Maidu language. The trip included hikes, lessons on ecology and cultural history and a reflective “sit spot” along Yellow Creek.
“A moment that stuck with me was watching the seventh-grade students quietly spread out along the creek during the sit-spot activity,” she recalled. “At first, there was fidgeting and chatter, but then you could feel the energy shift as they started to notice the wind, the sound of the creek and the birds circling overhead. Several students said afterward that they’d never just listened to a place like that before.”
For Page, that quiet connection encapsulates the essence of outdoor education: helping students slow down, tune in and build a personal relationship with the land. “If it were up to me, all children would experience this type of connection to the natural world firsthand,” she said.
Page’s position and the field trip expenses are funded through the California State Parks Outdoor Equity Grants Program, which aims to increase opportunities for residents in underserved communities to participate in outdoor experiences at state parks and other public lands.
The Humbug Valley trip was also made possible through a collaboration with the Maidu Summit Consortium, an organization that works to preserve and restore ancestral Maidu lands. Page said the partnership was key to helping students understand the full story of the valley.
“Humbug Valley, or Tásmam Koyóm, is a place of deep cultural significance,” she said. “Working with Maidu educators ensured that students were learning not just from an ecological perspective but from a cultural one as well.”
One of the most memorable moments came when Maidu educator Ben Cunningham guided the group to a traditional mortar and pestle site used by Maidu women to grind acorns. “The rock surface was covered with dozens, maybe hundreds, of grinding holes—each one a link to generations of people who lived, worked and cared for this land,” Page said.
As students took in the scene, one who is part of the Maidu community turned to a family member and said, “Isn’t it cool we’re a part of this?” It was, Page said, “a simple but moving moment of connection and pride.”
As PCS continues to expand its outdoor education program, Page has a full lineup of upcoming activities and field experiences in the works. These include hikes exploring Spanish Peak, geology and ecology field studies and projects connecting science, natural history and creativity.
“I’m especially excited about activities like making elderberry syrup with wild-harvested berries, partnering with the Resource Conservation District and ski trips this winter,” she said. “I want students to see how learning and adventure go hand in hand.”
When she’s not teaching, Page can usually be found outside—skiing, hiking, kayaking or exploring new trails throughout Plumas County. “There are always new places to discover, but I’m also perfectly content reading in my hammock near an alpine lake,” she said. “Spending time outdoors is how I recharge and stay connected to the mountains year-round.”
With her background in interpretation, her passion for hands-on learning, and her deep respect for the land and its history, Darcy Page is helping a new generation of PCS students see nature not just as a classroom, but as a community.