If you attended elementary school in North Vancouver during the past 40 years, it's likely you have also visited the Outdoor School.
Since 1969, Outdoor School has hosted thousands of students in various educational programs at its 420-acre site near Squamish.
The program's mission is to provide meaningful experiences that connect kids to the natural world, explains Conor McMullan, director of educational programs at the school. He says in developing that connection they also hope to create the beginning point for a stewardship ethic, and an appreciation and awareness of ecology and First Nations cultural understanding.
Each year, Outdoor School provides various programs to students in grades 3,4, and 6, with 65 per cent of those students coming from the North Vancouver School District. Last year, 5,000 students visited the site in the Cheakamus River Valley. In addition to the elementary school programs, 250 high school students are trained each year, as part of a youth leadership program, to serve in supervisory and counselling roles for the primary programs.
As the new school year rolls around, plans are already underway to continue the legacy of learning, but change is afoot.
New programs are being developed to expand the facility's offerings, including some day programs, secondary and post-secondary school programs, and weekend family programs. Some of these are still being discussed and some are in the pilot phase.
"Our vision right now is that we're striving to be a dynamic centre of excellence for environmental learning, leadership and sustainability.
The Outdoor School programming is a core piece in support of that, and we see these other new areas as a means of working toward being kind of a hub of environmental and experiential education," says McMullan.
As part of the changes, the whole facility and the site collectively were re-branded under the new name of Cheakamus Centre last fall.
Outdoor School, as it is commonly referred to, keeps its name and is still part of the school district. None of the elementary school programs are being lost or affected by the name change.
"That core mandate is still integral to what we do," says McMullan.
The new facility name is meant to reflect the broader programs and services offered at the site, including programs for out-of-district schools, and venue rentals for retreats, conferences, special events, and camps.
Cheakamus is a First Nations word that means "people of the fish weir," explains McMullan. He adds that the name was chosen to be more synonymous with the region.
"It's just trying to be a bit more authentic to the place," he notes.
Venue rentals, including the new environmental learning centre, help bring in revenue to support the school activities. Some of the new programs will bring in some revenue, but they will also bring in new ideas and help renew and engage the core mandate, says McMullan.
"The new is supporting the established," he adds.
For more information visit the website at cheakamuscentre.ca.
This story originally appeaered in the North Shore News special section called Back to Class, which featured school-related content.
