Every year the middle school students at Island Pacific School go on two significant camping expeditions, one at the beginning of the year and another at the end.
They also participate in a special Discovery Week experience during the third week in May. These trips are in addition to the monthly half-day excursions that the students take on alternating Wednesdays.
Each of these special extracurricular elements has its own unique purpose within the school's overall aim: to create the conditions to enable middle school students to become persons of character. The three-day hiking trip to Alice Lake and Garibaldi Park at the beginning of the year is designed to introduce or re-acquaint everyone and at the same time underline the importance of taking responsibility for oneself in a new environment.
The Wednesday excursions (to art galleries, plays, shelters, museums, etc.) are sometimes a complement to the academic program and sometimes an opportunity for students to participate in special community initiatives. The grade-specific Discovery Week trips in May (hiking, camping on Bowen Island; tall-ship sailing in the Gulf Islands; cultural excursion to Quebec city) provide unique challenges and opportunities for further responsibility, growth and learning. The kayak and camping trip at the end of the year offers a final challenge followed by a well-deserved celebration of accomplishment.
While these programs are offered outside of the regular academic timetable, they are not really extra-curricular. They represent, instead, an integral element of the school's multifaceted approach to give middle school students the education they need to truly come of age.
