Outdoor Education

As part of the physical education program at The Norman Howard School, students have the opportunity to participate in outdoor education. Outdoor education is an elective in the high school (grades 9-12).

Once a month, an adventure company - Pack, Paddle and Ski, works with students during physical education classes on group cooperation and trust building skills through the use of challenging games and activities. Some of the activities involve a great deal of courage for most students. There is a real feeling of accomplishment after each activity that is wonderful for building our student’s self-confidence.

The main events of the outdoor education program are the camping adventures. High school students who take Outdoor Education as an elective prepare all year for a weeklong trip. In the past, students have gone canoeing and rock climbing in Canada and the Adirondacks, white water canoeing in Pennsylvania, ocean canoeing on the Chesapeake in Maryland and white water kayaking on the Salmon River in Pulaski, New York. Students are responsible for planning the entire trip – from planning meals to delegating chore responsibilities.

Many of the students who participate in the program have had no experience with camping. Learning about survival in the wilderness, becoming an important cooperating member of a group, being responsible for packing and keeping track of equipment while learning skills such as canoeing, camping, rock climbing and kayaking is a great experience for our students and provides them with a very different learning environment where many excel.