Outdoor Education

Chadwick’s outdoor education program is closely tied to the school’s mission of developing “self-confident individuals of exemplary character.” Through experiential learning in secluded areas of the outdoors, students hone their leadership and team-building skills while learning about themselves, about others and about the world around them.

The program is mandatory in Grades 7 through 12, and becomes increasingly challenging as each year progresses. Specific objectives are set for each course, as students prepare for their senior trip - a 21-day backpacking expedition in the Sierras that includes three days of monitored solitude.

Chadwick’s outdoor education program is not a survival course. It uses the outdoors as a medium for learning, allowing students to:

Develop independence through self-confidence, self-direction and self-knowledge
Sharpen their reflective and critical-thinking skills
Enhance their appreciation of, and respect for, the natural environment
Discover personal strengths
Learn how to be effective leaders and cooperative team members

All outdoor education instructors are certified in CPR and as Wilderness First Responders, and many have worked for prominent organizations such as Outward Bound and the National Outdoor Leadership School. Chadwick’s outdoor education program is one of only seven of its kind to be accredited by the Association for Experiential Education.

Curriculum
Adventure and challenge are inextricably linked on Chadwick outdoor education trips. We strive to develop the individual and the group through considered skill development with careful handling of emotional well-being. The expectation is that students will return having faced challenges, risks and adventure in the outdoors and be able to apply the learning to everyday life.

Outdoor education courses involve travel and camping in rugged terrain. Good physical conditioning and a positive mental attitude are essential. Each student plays an important role in the success of an outdoor education course.

Each grade course teaches the following as the core curriculum:

Decision-making and problem-solving
Leadership
Camping skills
Weather
Health and sanitation
Travel techniques
Navigation
Journaling reflection and solo time
Trip-planning
Teaching and transference
Natural and cultural history
Hazard and risk management
Expedition behavior and group dynamics
Group-processing and communication
Equipment/clothing selection and use
Minimum impact ethics with respect to the natural environment.

For more information on Chadwick’s outdoor education program, contact:
Alan Hill
Director
310-377-1543, ext. 4131

Deb Powers
Associate Director
310-377-1543, ext. 4175