Even as students enjoyed their last few summer days, preparations were underway for a return to school classrooms. But what if school didn’t start inside, but outdoors, underneath the redwood canopy – surrounded by tents, friends, and the wafting smell of campfires?
At one local school, that is just how it began. On the first day at Mount Madonna, arriving sixth through eighth graders toted hiking boots and sleeping bags. The occasion? A beginning of the year, 4-day camping and backpacking trip to Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park! This annual tradition is just one of several enrichment opportunities MMS students participate in throughout the year.
“The trip provides a much-needed transition from the carefree summer days to the responsibility of school days,” explains MMS teacher and trip co-leader Bob Caplan. “New and returning students and adult chaperones share an equal footing in the setting of a magnificent state park, where we combine the sheer frolic of river, ocean, campfire and tent with the rigors of feeding 72 hungry people 3 meals each day.”
The chaperone crew is comprised of faculty, parents and numerous alumni, creating an atmosphere of camaraderie and role modeling across age groups. “Hidden strengths emerge,” comments Caplan, “friendships are formed and renewed, adolescents and adults live, work, and play together. When we do show up for classes, there seems to be more of a family feel from having shared this experience.”
Founded in 1979, Mount Madonna School is a non-religious, PreK through 12th grade, CAIS and WASC accredited independent school. Mount Madonna School offers small classes, rigorous academics balanced with arts and physical education, and hands-on environmental learning designed to help each student excel. Graduates have been admitted to America’s finest colleges and universities, including Yale, Princeton, Amherst, Harvard, Stanford, Reed, CAL, and the University of California campuses, among others.
