Educational Philosophy

The Need to Lead…
We now find ourselves on the far-side of a global pandemic and at no time have we and our young people needed more. No doubt a generation of students have lost a step in their academic progress and maybe something more. An increase in screen time and isolation and a decrease in collaboration and community building has left students without the crucial skills to lead. We can find those skills again – in struggling to climb high mountaintops and navigate wild river rapids, in learning to be resilient in the face of adverse weather, and above all in having the courage to lead others when the day’s challenges seem insurmountable. In other words, adventure. It’s time we get out there…

Our Purpose…
The primary purpose of the STREAM School is to offer a unique summer learning experience that combines academic enrichment, outdoor adventures, and character development to empower students to become lifelong learners and responsible members of their community. STREAM School accomplishes this through direct programming of expeditions and field-experiences that get students learning outside. Let’s get students learning outside.

A secondary purpose of the STREAM School is to act as a laboratory for experiential, outdoor, and adventure education curricula. The curricular work of this school shall be shared and accessible to the greater community of educators to serve as inspiration and a catalyst for a broader community of experiential educators. Let’s be a public resource.

A tertiary purpose of the STREAM School is to serve as a nexus for educators who have experience or an interest in experiential, adventure, and outdoor education. The school will work to provide opportunities for sharing and networking to help foster an ever-growing community of experiential educators. Let’s connect teachers.

Teaching Values…
The STREAM School goes beyond basic academic skills by teaching students to be resilient, responsible community leaders. CS Lewis remarked that “Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a more clever devil.” Our curriculum helps students develop into scientists who are stewards, researchers who think critically, and leaders who guide with compassion. At the heart of our approach are our Five Core Values ::

1. Student Leadership – Students are encouraged to to find their own leadership style and employ it during the challenges of outdoor adventure. Nowhere is learning to lead more authentic than when faced with the challenges of navigating the natural world.

2. Independence in Learning – Self-directed, inquiry based learning engages students to think critically about the world and engage with what they learn. Students take control of their learning by asking questions.

3. Resilience and Adaptability – By design our curriculum pushes students outside of their comfort zones, into new and sometimes daunting experiences. Overcoming difficult moments fosters genuine personal growth.

4. Social and Environmental Stewardship – Students engage with the environments they explore by considering the value of these spaces. They are not merely travelers and adventurers, they are caretakers.

5. Social Justice – As students grow as both learners and leaders they are encouraged to reflect on how they can impact and affect beneficial change in their own communities.