Academy Adventure Trips

Adventures in Education

The Academy at SOAR operates on a cycle that rotates their time between focused academics on campus and expedition field study. Each expedition provides students with opportunities to discover their world and to uncover abilities in themselves they may not have realized. Unlike traditional school settings, an outdoor adventure school setting is rich in opportunities to push past perceived limits, to utilize teamwork and communication skills, and to practice problem-solving skills with real world applications. Evidence suggests that spending time in nature can ease symptoms associated with ADHD and learning disabilities, and we find this to be true. (Read more about these studies here and here.)

While at the Academy at SOAR, academic and adventure components are closely linked utilizing project based field studies designed to meet the experiential opportunities encountered while on expeditions. Students take an active role in their education, and will participate in exciting adventure activities such as rock climbing, canoeing, backpacking, SCUBA diving, whitewater rafting and much more.

This model has been adapted in an effort to ensure the quality of academics while on expedition. Expedition curriculum, in addition to each student’s individualized curriculum, is adapted to ensure relevance to each expedition locale. For example, students backpacking on the Appalachian Trail will typically read Cherokee folktales about the region, learn about Civil War battle sites nearby, calculate average daily miles per hour or plot their course on a grid, and study deciduous trees commonly encountered on that portion of the trail. Though great care is taken to relate material to expedition locations, the overall goal is to provide a consistent level of instruction for students regardless of their location—classroom or trail. Additionally, we seek to connect each lesson to the National Core Curricular standards.

An Outdoor Adventure School like No Other

Each school year we rotate the schedule for expeditions, so that students enrolling in multiple years at the Academy at SOAR will benefit from a variety of experiences and growth opportunities. Here are some examples of expeditions we have scheduled:

Sample Expeditions **

**Please note that expeditions change from year to year. We are adjusting the schedule and format of our expeditions for the upcoming year to ensure compliance with COVID-19 guidelines and regulations.