Reflecting on Winter Outdoor Education

1/17/2018

Erin Taylor, Communications Officer

Rather than coming back to Greenwood for classes, students spent the first week after winter holidays participating in our Outdoor Education (OE) program. OE, which runs at the beginning of each term, gives students an environment to take risks and challenge themselves, promoting learning and personal growth. Grades 7-10 travelled to four different outdoor education centres for a full itinerary of activities. The Grade 11s challenged themselves with dog sledding and snowshoeing expeditions, while the Grade 12s participated in community service projects in Costa Rica, as well as here in Toronto.

OE provides the opportunity for students to take on challenges that are very different from those they face in the classroom. These challenges require them to think differently and push themselves beyond their everyday efforts. They broaden their problem-solving skills, adaptability, and confidence in their abilities, all of which can help them both in the classroom and their non-academic lives.

The Greenwood community itself is built and strengthened during OE. Many of the activities have strong trust- and team-building elements. From the Grade 10’s crane and milk crate challenges to the Grade 7 string puzzle, the students worked in teams to solve complex and unusual challenges. The challenges required they communicate effectively and rely on each other. By collaborating, they could create innovative solutions. Group discussion sessions and debriefs gave students the opportunity to reflect on their experiences together. They pushed their thinking further whether they were discussing the meaning of friendship or social issues.

Students also bonded as they supported each other during difficult physical challenges. They climbed an ice wall, mastered snowshoes, ziplined, surfed, slept overnight in a quinzee shelter and tents and more. They worked together on their sled and snowshoe teams, and they built structures and planted gardens during their Costa Rica service projects. There were plenty of challenges that required grit, courage, and perseverance, accomplishing more together than they could have separately. Students pushed past the boundaries of what they believed they could accomplish, and learned that their classmates were there to support them.

Students should be very proud of all that they have accomplished during their Winter OE. Hopefully they start the term refreshed, energized, and ready to face challenges, both academic and personal, with new confidence and perspectives.

We would also like to extend a huge thank you to the many teachers who attended Winter OE. This enriching experience would not have been possible without your hard work and dedication.

To see more photos from Winter OE, check out our Instagram and Facebook pages.

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The Grade 8s with their snowman at Pine Crest Camp
The Grade 7s had to work together to solve this string puzzle
Grade 12 Group 2 in Costa Rica
The crane challenge required some creative thinking and a lot of teamwork

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Greenwood College School

443 Mount Pleasant Road
Toronto, ON M4S 2L8
Tel: 416 482 9811

We acknowledge with gratitude the Ancestral lands upon which our main campus is situated. These lands are the Ancestral territories of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, Anishinabek and the Wendake. The shared responsibility of this land is honoured in the Dish with One Spoon Treaty and we strive to care for the land, the waters, and all creatures in the spirit of peace. We are responsible for respecting and supporting the enduring presence of all First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples. When away from this campus we vow to be respectful to the land by protecting and honouring it. We will create relationships with the people and the land we may visit by understanding the territories we enter and the nations who inhabit them.