Outdoor Education

Middle School Outdoor Education trips introduce students to the opportunities of human-powered activities and wilderness travel.

Single and Multi-Day Trips: Each year, our team offers trips in every season for Middle School students. From the 6th grade farm trip to the 8th grade Mount St. Helens summit attempt, students are encouraged to learn new campcraft skills, define and explore their comfort zones, care for one another and the land, and form meaningful working relationships with peers and adults.

Rock Climbing Club: Students can sign up for this weekly club in the winter season. They’ll learn basic movement on rock at a local climbing gym, and if old enough by the gym’s standards, will learn to belay.

Outdoor Education in the Upper School focuses on development of group living skills, expanded leadership roles, and an introduction to travel in more austere environments.

Single and Multi-Day Trips: Upper School trips range from one day to week-long expeditions. During every trip, students learn about living in community and build leadership skills through real-life experience and reflection. Many of these trips take place on weekends during the school year and include paddling, climbing,, skiing, and hiking. Summer trips introduce new activities such as surfing and llama packing.

PE Credits for Outdoor Trips: Students can earn PE credits by participating in Outdoor Education programming. One semester PE credit is equivalent to 48 trip hours (roughly three weekend trips during the year or one week-long trip during the summer).

Upper School Affinity & Interest-Based Trips: Students can reach out to OE staff to partner in organizing a trip for their Affinity Group, athletics team, club, or interest group.

Rock Climbing Club: Students can sign up for this weekly club in the winter season. They’ll learn basic movement on rock both on campus and at local climbing gyms, and if old enough by the gym’s standards, will learn to belay.

• Applied Leadership in the Outdoors: This for-credit PE class is offered in various formats, including bi-weekly after school and during Immersives. Students who want to dig deeper into developing their leadership skills and group -decision- making skills will love this course offered during Upper School Immersives.
• Student Leaders on Trips: Upper School students can serve as volunteer leaders on Middle School programs, or Upper School programs for which they have requisite experience.
• Community Engagement: The Outdoor Education Program continues to benefit from the hard work and talent of our students who work with program gear and logistics, create promotional videos, provide student perspectives on programming, and analyze statistics about program participation.

The Catlin Gabel Outdoor Education Program supports the school’s mission of fostering compassionate and curious citizens of the world by inspiring in every student a love of learning and the courage to take responsible action.

Experiential outdoor education is the mechanism by which we teach our students to practice integrity, inclusion, and kindness in their lives. Our program is field-based, experiential, and intimately linked to themes students will encounter in the classroom and elsewhere during their Catlin Gabel education. By engaging with the Outdoor Education Program, each student forms their own understanding of what it means to take responsible action, and learns firsthand how this plays out in a community setting. As a result, they are more capable of supporting their peers, better stewards of our incredible campus, and more self-aware learners, teammates, and friends.