Our Philosophy

Our Vision

Our vision is to share the wonder of transformative learning with every student. We aim to inspire the future stewards of our planet to discover themselves and the world around them through scenic campuses that encourage adventure, exciting and personalized programming, and our highly qualified, fun-loving team!

Our Values

At Outdoor Classroom, we abide by the four Cs: communication, cooperation, commitment, and care. These four tenets guide us in all that we do, serving as the foundation for our philosophy. Many educators we’ve worked with have adopted the four Cs for use in their classrooms to foster teamwork and encourage collaborative problem-solving.

At Outdoor Classroom, we immerse students in authentic, real-world, hands-on activities in spectacular natural settings. Students enthusiastically share how much they’ve learned about themselves, their peers, and how life-impacting their time at Outdoor Classroom was.

Philip Ross, Director, Outdoor Classroom

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Outdoor Education in the United States has a history of being overwhelmingly white, even as environmental issues disproportionately impact communities of color. Outdoor Classroom staff have taken time to reflect on the effects of racism and bias in our society. Particularly, we’re focusing on how we as outdoor educators can create an even more inclusive and racially diverse space at Outdoor Classroom.

As outdoor educators, we teach our students to be loving and caring and to think critically about the world around them. With that, we have a renewed responsibility to examine ourselves and to find ways to make our program even more diverse and inclusive. We have more to learn and do in order to become better teachers for our students.

At the Outdoor Classroom, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse environment for students and staff. As educators, we encourage students to think critically, act with compassion, and engage with the world around them. We also recognize our responsibility to reflect on our own practices and ensure that our program is welcoming to all. Implementing policies that promote respect and equity is an ongoing effort, and we will continue working toward creating a more inclusive Outdoor Classroom for all.

Outdoor Classroom intends to fulfill our responsibility to support one another, and work together for positive change.