Outdoor Education and Class Trips

The Outdoor Education and Class Trips program provides opportunities for students and faculty to learn and grow in environments extending beyond the regular classroom setting. Recognizing that many of our students and faculty are mostly urban, our outdoor trips are designed not for the mastery of skills, but rather for thought-provoking exposure. Trips emphasize the group process and individual participation throughout the course of the trip.

Self-Selected Trips

The elective trips fall into two categories. Adventure Trips are the most intensive and focus on a single activity including backpacking, kayaking, river rafting, back-country skiing, climbing and biking. Observation/Awareness Trips offer the opportunity for students to connect with the natural world through more contemplative and less active means. Such trips include visiting migrating butterflies, tide pooling and spending time on a working farm. No previous experience is required, however, the activities are varied enough to challenge even those with some expertise. Students are encouraged to sign up for at least one outing during the year.

Grade Level Experiences

In addition, each grade level takes a trip during the school year that offers students and teachers an opportunity to get away from the school and the city in order to build class unity and responsibility through trail work and other activities. Freshman students may spend a night at Westminster Woods during their orientation and do a ropes course together in the spring. Sophomore and senior overnight trips incorporate trail work in local national parks; and juniors spend five days in Joshua Tree National Park in the spring.

See our planned trips for 2012-13!