GrADE 10
Experiential Program: Ridgelines & Coastlines

Designed to offer unique learning experiences, the
SMUS Experiential Program is meant to build upon and enhance classroom education.
Any Grade 10 student can take part, and the program combines an excellent academic foundation with an intentional focus on experiential (hands-on, real life, reflective) education.

 Each term will have a different outdoor education focus that will be supported by classroom curriculum and a broader focus on self (health & wellness, character education), self & others (service, leadership), and self & environment (sustainability, indigenous education). 

Key components of the program:

Ridgelines & Coastlines:

Students registered in the Experiential Education Program in their grade 10 year will be exposed to the incredible outdoors available on the west coast and will develop the skills necessary to meet the challenges of the outdoor environment. Students will have opportunities to climb, ski, paddle and hike through pristine wilderness areas on Vancouver Island.

Term Expeditions & Culminating Trips:

Each week, students will spend at least two days out of the classroom, enriching their learning experience in the local community. Additionally, each term will feature a multi-day expedition focusing on a different set of outdoor skills and connecting to a different unit of student in their Social Studies 10 and English 10 courses.

Course Work:

Regular classroom instruction will support and enrich the student experience by connecting the academic curriculum to a place-based experiential model. Students in the program will leverage their outdoor experiences to enrich learning in their Social Studies 10 and English 10 courses, which run in the same terms as their Experiential Program block.

Learning:

The program will be delivered using experiential and inquiry teaching practices, which but the student at the heart of the learning process: student interest drives the program. The Experiential terms will have a unique and sustained focus on leadership, service, and sustainability. Each of these themes will be prevalent in the classroom sessions, and on the expeditions throughout each term.

Demonstration of Learning:

A final assignment that pulls together the learning, draws from the experiences, and considers application to new opportunities. Students identify and present obvious links to the curricular material, skills and competencies developed and personal growth to formally express their learning over the year in a personalized way. This is a public demonstration that will be for an audience including parents.