Wildwood alumni will tell you that the friendships they forged at Wildwood last a lifetime.
While those close connections are often the accumulation of years of shared experiences (Advisory, All School Meetings, classes, athletics, and performing arts, to name a few), nothing can bring a group of adolescents closer quite like working together to put up a tent and sleeping under the stars.
For a handful of days in early October, Wildwood’s 9th grade explored El Capitan Canyon in Santa Barbara as part of the annual outdoor education retreat, while middle school students (6th-8th grade) embarked on their own journey to the Santa Monica Mountains. Both retreats included a variety of activities such as hiking and community building activities.
"Whether it’s ziplining through the trees, shooting a bow and arrow, cresting that next trailhead or simply performing grade level skits around a campfire, every aspect of our outdoor education program is designed to broaden our student's understanding of the natural world, solidify new and old friendships, and push students a bit out of their comfort zone," said Jonathan Drummey, director of middle school.
At Wildwood’s middle and upper school, retreats and outdoor education are an integral part of our Advisory and Social Emotional Learning (SEL) programs. Key aspects of Wildwood’s curriculum are weaved into retreat activities to show their applicability outside of the classroom.
"Students were able to see patterns and ways in which the retreat was bringing them together—both purposely and more subtly—and identify the parallels between the social-emotional work that typically occurs in on-campus Advisory to that in their surroundings in nature," Jonathan said.
While the retreats themselves lasted just a handful of days, Jonathan is confident that the lessons learned will serve students well both during their time at Wildwood and beyond.
“The retreat allows the students to both come together as a grade, and to come into themselves,” said Robin Follet, director of upper school. “It's important for 9th graders to have the opportunity to explore their transition into high school, and the retreat is the perfect location to do so.”
- Fall 2024
