Fifth graders at Glen Urquhart School, in Beverly, spend their year exploring the theme “The Land.” They climb a mountain, visit a granite quarry, look for signs of the last ice age in the local landscape, devise and construct models of earthquake-resistant buildings, and learn about how humans use the resources of our earth. Their capstone experience is a 4-day stay at Chewonki’s Outdoor Classroom in Wiscasset, Maine.
The Chewonki Foundation is an environmental education organization that offers programs for school groups in Maine and New England. Founded in 1915, Chewonki began as a summer camp for boys and has grown to include an array of coeducational programs for different age groups in the summer and throughout the school year. Inspiring transformative growth, appreciation and stewardship of the natural world, and challenging people to build thriving, sustainable communities throughout their lives is Chewonki’s mission.
Coincidentally, Glen Urquhart’s incoming Head of School, David Liebmann, began his career at Chewonki as a teacher and admissions coordinator. He currently serves as a trustee of the Chewonki Foundation. Liebmann is a strong proponent of the value of outdoor and experiential education. He explains, “One of the many benefits of the Chewonki experience is that it pushes students out of their comfort zone and shows them what they are capable of. The experience not only improves their self-esteem, it also instills a greater enthusiasm for the natural world and a desire to learn more about it.”
The Chewonki program that the fifth graders participate in aptly extends their curriculum, placing them in a natural setting in which they must work as a team to satisfy their needs while remaining conscientious about their impact on the land. Chewonki’s Outdoor Classroom is the only residential environmental education program in the area where students sleep in tents and cook their meals over fires. The experience provides outdoor living challenges that stretch individual and group skills. A full-time instructor and school chaperone accompany each student group. Students’ responsibilities start on day one with the challenge of “packing in” all their food and equipment to their campsites. Students learn essential skills as they rotate through cooking, cleaning, and firewood gathering tasks. They also participate in daily lessons on natural history and ecology, team-building exercises, and sustainability education.
“The students learn about depending on each other and on the land in a truly authentic way, because they are living it,” says fifth grade co-teacher Danielle Harrington. “Glen Urquhart’s curriculum and mission which encourages students to explore their intellects and develop their imaginations while discovering the best within themselves, and taking care of the their community and the world around them, aligns completely with that of Chewonki’s philosophy.” She adds, “Taking turns navigating the rope course or hiking that tough mile into camp with a heavy pack, the kids bond in a different way. They learn to believe in themselves and to believe in and rely on each other.”
Glen Urquhart is a K-8 independent day school in Beverly, MA. serving over 200 students across the North Shore. Founded in 1977, Glen Urquhart offers innovative teaching and a strong core curriculum providing students with the academic readiness to meet the demands of the most rigorous high schools and colleges, and the global perspective to succeed in the world beyond.
For more information about the school, please visit www.gus.org or contact Leslie Marchessault at 978-927-1064.
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