OUTDOOR EDUCATION
Tuition fees include a challenging outdoor adventure programme. Pinehurst School has designed an Outdoor Adventure Programme to promote personal growth, and to increase environmental awareness and responsibility amongst students. This is accomplished through a variety of exciting activities, which focus on co-operation and collaborative goal-setting. Four week-long outdoor education trips are scheduled each academic year. Recently, for example, students and staff ventured north to the Wildfire Outdoor Centre for the annual February winter trip. This centre offers year-round use of 600 hectares of marsh and 300 hectares of field and forest. There are over 15 kilometres of trails, which include dams and dikes crossing a marsh. Students arrived, unpacked their gear, and were given a safety orientation of the facilities and immediate area. This still left some time before nightfall to get in some tobogganing and snowboarding in the nearby hills.
The next day, students were divided into groups, based on age, ability level, and outdoor experience, and began a three day rotation of activities. They were treated to a number of in-house programmes, that included an evening of snakes and other reptiles. For the entire week, students enjoyed the beautiful weather, with lots of sunshine and mild temperatures; perfect for challenging hikes, snowshoeing, Alpine and Nordic skiing, quinzee building, winter survival training and snow tubing.
Why, with only 10% of the school year devoted to time in the wilds, does Mother Nature capture so much of Pinehurst School’s students’ attention, and of their memories? Why does she become so notable in their lives? Mother Nature is consistently firm, and very fair, about the reality of life’s chances. Before she came along, for most students, life was all about endless chances. Die in a video game, just hit the reset button. Miss a deadline, just expect an extension. Fail a course, just insist on ‘social’ promotion. Misbehave, just anticipate yet one more warning. But Mother Nature offers students a much more accurate reality. Beyond her thrills are a great many spills, and some frigid chills that come each student’s way, out there in her wilder-ness. Students all experience her natural consequences of their sometimes flawed choices. Students all learn from Mother Nature’s firm and fair approach to life. Mother Nature may offer few second chances, but she is always unconditionally accepting of, and welcoming to, all students. No reputational bias, no pre-judgment, … just the offer of a truly fresh start
