The Outdoor Education experience is an integral part of the learning process at York House. With a long tradition of facilitating students’ connection to British Columbia’s outdoors, our goal is to promote our community’s comfort in, and understanding of, the natural environment.
These are some of the outdoor adventures our Yorkies have experienced this fall:
Grade 10s at Garibaldi:
Grade 10s accomplished a four-day journey to Garibaldi Park. Some girls went to Elfin Lakes, and others went to Garibaldi Lake. They each climbed at least 600m in elevation on the first day with full backpacks. This is quite an accomplishment! There were stunning views, moments of challenge/growth, and moments of joy for everyone.
Grade 9s at Alouette Lake:
Grade 9s enjoyed four days of exploration of the shores and waters of Alouette Lake. They paddled large Voyageur style canoes, learned about the fur trade, and enjoyed their French Canadian canoe guides who doubled as actors, musicians, and dancers. They had a rainy week and returned home having faced a challenge which resulted in a sense of great accomplishment. They learned to cook on a camp stove, and made all their own meals in groups. This was also the first grade-wide trip in tents on a wilderness site. There were many first experiences to celebrate for this amazing group of youth.
Grade 8s at Camp Potlatch:
Grade 8s went to Camp Potlatch, on the shores of Howe Sound, for three days of adventure and fun. What a way to launch their Senior School journey together as a team! They paddled the ocean in kayaks and paddleboards, rock climbed, explored the forest and beaches, played games, and accomplished team challenges. The group was also accompanied by senior leaders, as mentors and role models in Grade 11 and 12. They got to know one another and their teachers through team-building activities, skits, and fun.
Grade 6s at Camp Summit:
Grade 6s went to Camp Summit, in the Squamish Valley. They participated in all sorts of camp activities such as high ropes, low ropes, fire building, mountain biking, big field games, and countless other adventures. The students slept in cabins and had a ton of fun!
Grade 5s at Camp Elphinstone:
Grade 5s, accompanied by a few wonderful Senior School mentors, went to the Sunshine Coast, to the Sea to Sky Outdoor School held at Camp Elphinstone. They canoed in big traditional canoes, slept in cabins with their Senior buddies, jumped in the freezing cold ocean, played games, sang songs, explored the gorgeous forest, and learned a little bit about the word “sustainability” and our role in making positive change. They canoed to Gambier Island to explore the wild forest there, experienced rain and sun, challenge and joy, and so much more!
Grades 1-3 in the Forest
Grades 1-3 each embarked on a full-day adventure to Pacific Spirit Park. Students explored, played games designed to bring them closer to our natural environment, heard stories from local culture, had time to play using natural materials and their incredible imaginations, had some quiet reflection time, and practised using all five senses to discover the world around them. A few highlights were learning about and finding slugs, learning some uses for local plants, playing ‘Eagle Eye’, making forest tea, discovering the dozens of types of mushrooms out this fall, nature’s face paint (charcoal), and free imaginative play.
This spring the GO Program embarked on three very different adventures. They went ski touring and winter camping in the Coquihalla Lakes area, cycle touring on Galiano Island, and kayaking in the Broken Islands. These were trips of a lifetime, full of challenge and growth, fun and bonding, beauty and new discoveries. Students learned three new sports, explored three means of self-propelled travel, and saw students becoming skilled and independent in many moments. This spring, the GO cohort has gone from growth to transformation and all the students have reason to be incredibly proud of their accomplishments.