Outdoor & Experiential Education
Learning goes places.
At Stanley, the world beyond the classroom is part of the curriculum. Students learn through firsthand experiences that deepen curiosity, build independence and invite them to see themselves and their world in new ways.
The World Is Part of the Classroom
Some things are best learned by going.
Stanley students do not only learn about the world. They explore it, experience it and learn to navigate it.
Field trips, outdoor education and travel extend classroom learning into real places and real experiences. Students encounter unfamiliar environments, solve problems together, take thoughtful risks and discover new capabilities.
These opportunities grow alongside students. Early experiences stay close to home. As children grow, the destinations become farther away, the challenges become greater and students take increasing responsibility for themselves and one another.
Why We Go
More than a trip.
Experiential learning gives students opportunities to practice the skills and qualities they are developing every day at Stanley.
Curiosity
Students ask questions, investigate firsthand and connect classroom ideas to the wider world.
Independence
New environments ask students to make decisions, manage themselves and take increasing responsibility.
Community
Shared challenges deepen relationships as students learn to collaborate, contribute and care for one another.
Resilience
The unexpected becomes part of the learning as students adapt, problem-solve and discover what they can handle.
Growing Their World
Experience grows with them.
From local exploration to overnight adventures and international travel, Stanley students encounter a wider world as they grow in confidence, independence and responsibility.
Pre-Kindergarten through 2
Explore close to home.
Our youngest students begin by discovering the world around them. Field trips and outdoor experiences extend curricular units, deepen curiosity and give children opportunities to learn through direct experience.
Adventures might include hiking at Three Sisters Park, splashing at Cherry Creek Reservoir or visiting a local farm. These early experiences nurture children's connection to nature while showing them that learning can happen anywhere.
3/4/5
Venture farther.
As students grow, experiential learning begins to ask more of them. 3/4/5 students participate in overnight outdoor education at Cal-Wood, where time in the natural environment strengthens classroom learning, relationships and independence.
Away from the routines of school and home, students learn about themselves and one another in entirely new ways.
Middle School
Take on the challenge.
Outdoor education becomes increasingly ambitious in Middle School. Students camp, hike, raft, travel and learn to navigate the uncertainties that come with being away from home.
These experiences intentionally stretch students beyond what is familiar, building flexibility, confidence and resilience while strengthening the relationships that anchor the Middle School experience.
A Wider World, Year by Year
Three years. Growing independence.
Middle School experiences build intentionally from community and confidence toward leadership, independence and global perspective.
6th Grade
Estes Park, Colorado
Students spend two nights in the mountains exploring the outdoors, strengthening friendships and building confidence as a grade-level community.
7th Grade
Moab, Utah
Camping, rafting and leadership activities invite students to take on new challenges in one of the West's most extraordinary landscapes.
8th Grade
England
A week abroad expands the experience again, giving students opportunities to navigate a new country with curiosity, confidence and growing independence.
Learning to Take Care of the Group
Even dinner becomes part of the curriculum.
On Middle School homeroom camping trips, students help set up tents, plan menus, shop for food and cook for their classmates. Weather changes. Plans shift. Things do not always go perfectly. That is part of the point. Students practice solving problems, contributing to the group and adapting together.
The Culminating Experience
London is calling.
In 8th grade, Stanley students spend a week in England, connecting their own Stanley experience with the British roots of the school's educational philosophy.
Museums, theater, soccer, markets, the seaside, new foods and navigating the Tube all become part of the experience. After years of gradually expanding their world, students have an opportunity to put their independence into practice on an international stage.
See Stanley in Action
A bigger world begins here.
Come see how curiosity, independence and firsthand experience are woven into a Stanley education.