Going Beyond the Classroom

Much of our learning in life and at Parkmont takes place outside the classroom. By offering instruction in a variety of environments, we invite students to learn by direct experience. Some of our “classrooms” are as pragmatic as a workplace or as inspiring as a mountain top, while others are as casual as an open field, or as formalized as a Congressional hearing. Self-realization and “real world” problem-solving are life skills that are interwoven into our program.

We take trips throughout the year at Parkmont. Some are community-building adventures such as all-school trips and optional weekend excursions. Other trips are considered expansions of the classroom within a particular class. For example, a student from the Latin American History and Culture class traveling in the Yucatan will gain a first-hand perspective of another culture. Students become enthusiastic and active learners during such experiences.

Trips have ranged from the Green Mountains of Vermont to the Grand Canyon of Colorado and from the small villages of Mexico to the vast Okefenokee Swamp of Georgia. They can introduce students — some of whom have never been out of the city — to wild ponies, crab nets, white water rafts, and downhill skis. And they can introduce other students — some of whom have never been to the inner city — to ethnic festivals, soup kitchens, wholesale markets, and community organizations.

Each year, Middle School students hike in Shenandoah National Park, ski at Wisp Mountain, MD, and participate in a high ropes course at Tuckahoe State Park. The Upper School students ski at Whitetail Mountain, go to a corn maze in The Plains, VA, and have the opportunity to take courses that include trips to such places of study as the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, the Everglades, or elsewhere in the United States. Additional weekend and weekday field trips include hiking, biking, skiing, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, and rock climbing. All activities are made available to all students, regardless of financial situation.