How Outdoor Education Programs Benefit the Entire School Community
What’s one program that your school could add that would positively impact all of your students, as well as parents and your surrounding community? A program that would simultaneously support curriculum, leadership development, and after-school and summer offerings, while also generating revenue for your school through community engagement. For Heathwood Hall Episcopal School in Columbia, SC, the PEAK Program for Leadership, Education, and Adventure is an outdoor education program that achieves all of the above – and then some.
How It All Began
The Heathwood campus is an environmental oasis. Nestled on 122 acres with five nature habitats consisting of the Congaree River, a one-acre pond, a farmland field, a pine forest, and a wetlands swamp, the setting lures the 913 students in grades PK-12 to the great outdoors. On any given day, students can be found in the school garden, gathering ecological samples along the banks of the pond, or studying the school’s live bee colony.
The grounds are the ideal setting for The PEAK (Pursuit of Environmental Adventure and Knowledge) Program, which was founded in the late ‘90s. Heathwood was already somewhat familiar with outdoor ed, having previously invested in a simple Project Adventure pole ropes course in the early 1980s, providing student access through PE classes.
As the campus expanded athletic facilities, a formal outdoor education program was introduced, led by longtime Heathwood faculty member and former athletic director Stan Wood. Over time, elements grew from a climbing wall in the gym to today’s facilities, which include low elements such as the Ninja course, as well as high elements – the Odyssey course, the Alpine Tower, a giant swing, the Sky Park – plus an archery range, water elements, and biking and walking paths.
Curriculum and Culture
PEAK’s mission to engage students with environmental education, environmental stewardship, wilderness exploration and adventure, and leadership development directly support the mission of the school in guiding young people to transform their world. PEAK contributes to Heathwood’s culture of curiosity, support, leadership, and fun and provides a unique differentiator to discuss with prospective families. The program is now deeply ingrained in the school culture.
Each division uses PEAK’s expertise, including students as young as K3. Early childhood students participate in nature trail hikes and canoe rides as part of an annual Habitat Day. Through student-led exploration, three- and four-year-old students learn about animals and habitats and present an exhibition sharing what they’ve learned through observation and research.
Lower school students extend classroom lessons about ecology and swamp habitats to the outdoors, observing beavers and birds that inhabit the nearby wetlands swamp. Students also engage in enrichment activities through after-school clubs or during the school day based on teacher requests. The sought-after extended-day programs provide students with the chance to learn skills such as biking, archery, and fishing, as well as participate in some of the climbing elements.
In the middle school, students in grades 5-8 participate in a six-week outdoor education class focused on outdoor adventure, personal challenge, and interpersonal skills. Through climbing and belaying, middle schoolers bond through PEAK adventures. The PEAK staff also organize grade-level class trips for overnight adventures from the low country to the mountains, with a focus on connecting classroom lessons with hands-on experiences.
In the upper school, students have the option to participate in PEAK course electives, clubs, and domestic and international expeditions, as well as the PEAK Student Leader (PSL) program. PSL is a voluntary program whereby approximately 50-60 students in grades 8-12 help facilitate PEAK programs, building leadership skills for these students while satisfying the school’s community service requirement. Notably, for more than 25 years, Heathwood students have participated in domestic and international travel during “Winterim.” The PEAK Program staff coordinate these experiences, which range from canoe expeditions in northern Minnesota to backpacking in Maine, winter mountaineering in New Hampshire, caving and rock climbing in Kentucky, SCUBA diving in the Caribbean, or exploring the outdoors in South America.
PEAK Director Stan Wood and his team of two full-time staff and three part-time staff both design and execute PEAK Programs and are often found working with students canoeing across the pond, climbing the ropes course, or biking the campus trails. What began as an opportunity for students has expanded to include event services for the broader community, as well as parent programming.
Heathwood offers a series of PEAK for Parents programs throughout the year, giving parents an opportunity to engage in the same ropes course elements and water activities their children experience. Local churches, Scouts, and other civic and corporate groups engage with PEAK for team building and camp-out opportunities. PEAK summer programs provide a range of adventure opportunities, from weeklong day camps to extended backcountry expeditions. A Wilderness First Aid class, a Level 1 ACA certification course for paddle board instructors, and birthday or private event rentals round out some of the offerings for the community.
Financial Impact and Infrastructure
Heathwood is committed to the PEAK Program and its infrastructure. For more than 25 years, the program was housed in a formerly unused ground-level room underneath the Robinson Center for Math and Science. Program revenues and donor support have covered capital items such as a climbing wall, the Adventure Base Camp with three high ropes courses and other activities, and the Boyd Foundation PEAK Center, which overlooks Adventure Base Camp, houses classroom and meeting space, and serves as home-base for PEAK staff.
Three years ago, the PEAK program caught the attention of the Darnal W. and Susan F. Boyd Foundation, which saw tremendous potential for the PEAK Program to further the foundation’s mission of supporting projects that both enhance the outdoors and education, as well as preserve the quality of life of those that live, work, and play in the Midlands. The Boyd Foundation’s goal was for members of the public to benefit from the Heathwood Hall PEAK Program. As such, they charged the school with providing opportunities for the facilities to be used by schools, churches, youth groups, nonprofits, and businesses for team building and recreational activities.
Two years ago the Foundation funded $2.15 million to create the Boyd Foundation PEAK Center and to expand the Adventure Base Camp ropes course by doubling the size of the Odyssey Course and adding the new Sky Park Climbing element.
Other facilities used by the program – the boathouse, dock and ramp at the pond, a shed and storage facility near the ropes course area, low-course elements, and clearing and signage for trails – were built by staff using funds generated from after-school and summer programs, middle school class trips, and community events and programs. Additional staff salaries (full and part time) are covered by these same funds, along with annual facilities inspections, gear and equipment replacement and repair, and new construction. Wood’s salary and benefits as director of PEAK, additional insurance, and capital expenses (e.g. ropes courses and donor-supported projects) are covered by the school’s budget.
Measuring Success
For a school with a commitment to experiential learning and whose vision is “to inspire and empower students to unlock their potential, develop their character, and gain the confidence to transform a dynamic world,” an outdoor learning program allows students to take safe risks, learn to trust their intuition, and build confidence.
While there is no formal measurement of student outcomes, the school measures success by the level of student participation and positive student and parent feedback.
“Not only do they gain confidence in themselves, but they gain confidence in each other because they see each other on the ropes course, or in a boat, or on a bike,” shares Wood. “That is the thing that excites me the most about this program.”
Students also learn team building, trust, communication, cooperation, self-confidence, healthy risk-taking, problem-solving, environmental stewardship through Leave No Traces practices, and environmental education such as flora/fauna identification, habitat study and ecosystems, and weather/climate observations.
“We see students overcome fears and step out of circles of comfort, gaining self-confidence and maturity as they master elements on a ropes course or paddle strokes on the pond, or hit a bullseye on an archery target, manage gears and brakes on a mountain bike trail, or thrive on a weeklong canoe or backpacking expedition,” says Wood.
Ideas Into Action
For schools interested in implementing an outdoor education program, Heathwood Hall Episcopal School shares key advice.
