Traveler
Sharon
Sharon's
Story
“Chadwick is a community. You can talk to anyone and not feel awkward. The teachers are very friendly. They actually want you to learn; they don’t just throw facts at you.
I’ve always loved outdoor education. I like that it’s a getaway. In seventh grade, we rock-climbed and rappelled in Joshua Tree. In eighth grade, we did a 10-mile hike and more rock climbing and rappelling in Quaking Aspen.
Outdoor ed teaches you to have an open mindset. No one wanted to do the 10-mile hike, but you felt really good at the end. It sounds cheesy, but you do. Rappelling teaches you to trust the instructors and trust other people. When you rock climb, someone else is pulling you up and helping you with the ropes. You have to embrace everything and do things you don’t feel like doing. In the end, it’s all worth it.
One of my favorite moments was rappelling a rock wall. The view around you is really pretty. You realize how big it is without any cities around you. It hit me how beautiful it is.”
Sharon is also an athlete, artist and scholar.
Outdoor Education Director
On Sharon
“The thing that strikes me immediately about Sharon is her enthusiasm. She is ebullient about everything in life, but especially outdoor ed. She brings so much positive energy to everything she does. That’s a real asset during outdoor ed.
On the Middle School trips, we’re trying to create enough of a challenge so there’s growth in the students, but we want to balance the challenge with success. The base camp trips are foundational; it’s about developing particular skills for living in the outdoors and being comfortable in the outdoors. The other Middle School trips prepare them for their first mobile backpacking trip — their last one in eighth grade.
I truly think Margaret Chadwick was a visionary, and part of her vision was to exploit the power of the outdoors. It’s on the original school gates. The wilderness is a powerful teaching medium. You learn so much about yourself; you learn so much about other people.”