Freshmen spend five days in the Adirondacks in late November at the Pok-O-MacCready Outdoor Education Center. The intent of this trip is to develop strong bonds through activities such as games, mountain hikes, and low ropes challenges that teach teamwork skills and the value of interdependency. Another part is simply appreciating the natural environment and some of the Lake Champlain/Adirondack Park’s colonial history. Students look back on this trip as something essential to them, something to which they attach important memories and discoveries about their peers.
Each August, sophomores sail on magnificent schooners in the waters of Long Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean for one week. During the voyage, students are not only passengers, but also learners and cadet sailors; and much of their knowledge is acquired while manning watches, cooking meals, and working the ropes and sails. In addition to crewing the schooners, students swim, boat hop and explore islands. Inspired by his experience, a recent sophomore spent a semester off-campus with the Ocean Classroom program; and an alum, having earned her pilot's license, captains a schooner out of Boston.