The Experiential Education program at OES includes a number of in- and out-of-classroom experiences, appropriate to age and grade, which complement and supplement the academic program. The activities are intended to broaden students’ acquaintance with the Northwest and its resources. They also build cooperation and self-awareness, teach skills, increase knowledge on a wide range of topics, and develop the concept of service to others. In addition to the experiences happening in the classroom each day, each student participates in at least two extended trips each year.

SIXTH GRADE TRAVELING SCHOOL
All Sixth Grade students focus on an outdoor program in the fall. During this activity, students study environmental science and the conservation of natural resources.

In the spring, Sixth Graders may travel to British Columbia to experience firsthand the French and Canadian cultures they have studied in Humanities.

SEVENTH GRADE TRAVELING SCHOOL
The Seventh Grade takes an annual three-day fall trip to Mt. St. Helens. The purpose of the trip is to study the geographic and geologic history of the area and to learn to work and to live together in a very different setting from the one the students usually experience.

The Spring Seventh Grade trip is designed to supplement the curriculum with its trip to Ashland. Destinations may vary.

EIGHTH GRADE TRAVELING SCHOOL
The Eighth Grade fall trip to an Oregon retreat center serves two major purposes. It provides an opportunity for the class to gel as a unit in an off-campus setting, and it provides a non-threatening atmosphere in which to explore such topics as sexuality, relationships, and interpersonal skills.

As a culmination of skills learned throughout Middle School, Eighth Grade students bear the responsibility for planning their own spring traveling school experience. They are given parameters–budget, geographical limits, required components–educational, physical challenge, service–and faculty chaperones. The class is divided into five smaller groups for planning and participation.

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