Middle School Outdoor Education Trips

By Jennifer Fogarty, communications content manager
Every year, Middle Schoolers leave campus for a week to explore the world around them, get to know each other better and experience the outdoors. They challenge themselves and work together as a team while building character and leadership skills.
 
Head of Middle School Ryan Song says, “Outdoor Education is an important time to spark a curiosity about the natural wonders around us. It also provides an environment outside the classroom to help students discover who they are as individuals in small groups and as a community.”

Grade 6 Trip
Sixth graders camped in the Santa Monica Mountains from Monday, September 25–Thursday, September 28. They hiked to various locales, including a waterfall and challenged themselves on the high ropes course and rock wall. Students learned about sustainability, various plants and animals, and took part in many team building activities. On the final night, everyone gathered around a campfire, enjoyed s’mores, and watched student skits and a talent show. Most of all, the students had an opportunity to build relationships with their peers and teachers, while experiencing learning in a new environment.

Grade 7 Trip
From Monday, October 2–Friday, October 6, seventh graders explored the island of Catalina and were greeted by a pod of dolphins. This was a preview of their week’s adventure, which provided the perfect conclusion to three weeks of marine biology studies. Their days were filled with snorkeling through the clear water within arm’s reach of Garibaldi, opaleye, calico bass and giant kelpfish, chumming in the tide pools as moray eels and even an octopus grabbed their bait, kayaking toward the open ocean, and investigating plankton through the microscopes and brittle stars in the touch tank.

Away from the beach, the students developed strategies for solving group challenges and brainstormed how the island could be managed. Evenings were filled with a night snorkel, astronomy, a campfire talent share, and even a dance, DJ’ed and decorated by students. 
Click here to read Leila Ghazi Nouri’s reflection.


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