Trust for a Mountain Classroom Inc

What it reported doing in 2016

The corporation, through the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC), and in cooperation with the Hartford Public Schools, sponsored a group of 35 Hartford high school students to the White Mountains of New Hampshire for an intensive study of water quality issues. The program, known as The Mountain Classroom, brings together students of diverse ethnic, religious and social backgrounds, challenging them to work together in small groups, to socialize across school divides, and to adjust to different language and physical abilities.Accompanying the group from Hartford are teachers from the Hartford high schools and one officer of the Corporation. The Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) provides the faculty and facility for the program. Most of the teaching takes place in the wilderness area surrounding the AMC facility and offers the students their first sustained introduction to a forest environment. The Corporation provides all of the funding. This past fiscal year (ending July 31, 2017), the Corporation completed the twelvth year of programming. In May 2017, 28 students and eight chaperones from Hartford (seven science and math teachers and one of the Trustees), traveled to Crawford Notch in New Hampshire for the four-day program. Focusing on water quality studies, students were instructed in the water cycle, the function of watersheds, sources of pollution and related topic. Acting in teams, students then engaged in the measurement and analysis of the quality of the water in four locations in Crawford Notch. They measured the physical and chemical characteristics of area streams, collected insect specimens indicative of water quality and designed and delivered to the whole group a presentation on their findings.Most of the participating students were ethnic minorities without significant previous outdoors experience. About 60% of the students were young women. The Trust is particularly pleased that its program is attractive to both young men and women.The Corporation also pays the out-of-pocket expenses for two outdoor group activities for participating students and teachers prior to the trip to New Hampshire. One activity consists of a specially designed outdoor course at Winding Trails in Farmington, CT, intended to stimulate cooperative group problem-solving, and the other a teacher-led hike. The expenses consist principally of the tuition costs for the team-building course and bus transportation for both activities. The Corporation also pays for the expenses (principally refreshments) of an orientation meeting for families of participating students, for refreshments served at planning meetings attended by the teachers and for a wrap-up dinner meeting for the teachers and other chaperones. .

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 97.7%; rating input score 98
• Program expense ratio: 94.9%; rating input score 95

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Limited

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -3%; rating input score 39; 39th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.35; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: Limited
• Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: -5.5% per year; rating input score 0; 37th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: -15.3% per year; rating input score 0; 21st percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: -44.3% per year; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings