Outdoor Education Program

Canoe

Zach Andrews, Edmund de Mattos, Gabe Michaels, Nelson Neo, and George Sutherland Howard handling high water on the Shepaug...

Climbing

"We seek to impel people into value forming experiences, and to insure the survival of these qualities: an undefeatable spirit, an enterprising curiosity, tenacity in pursuit, a readiness for sensible self-sacrifice, and above all else, compassion."
 - Kurth Hahn, Founder of Outward Bound

This winter, The Woodhall School Outdoor Education Program has continued to seek the real fruits of adventure - greater awareness of ourselves and the world around us. Despite the cold, climbing is the main adventure focus. and this winter we have been blessed with week long periods of relative mild weather. In order to climb as near to the limit of our ability as possible the crew has continued development of so-called "hard skills;" specifically, rope management, various knots, effective belay technique, and methods for moving on rock that are effective, yet graceful. All members of the group, including the oldest (i.e. Mr. Seiscio and Mr. Addis), have improved in these various skills. Some of the boys have much of their Woodhall athletic careers involved in the Outdoor Education Program, and the results continue to manifest in the form of more and more satisfying adventures and more effective leaders. Recently we have been exploring the local crags just outside of the town of Woodbury. The climbing area is a true hidden gem in that it is relatively pristine with a variety of climbing challenges, and yet relatively unpopulated.

The Outdoor Education Program, however, has never been primarily about making "rock-jocks," or in the case of the autumn and spring - white water experts. Instead, our real goal - consistent with the school's mission - is to help the young men grow in awareness of who they really are, both in terms of strength and limitation, and develop a greater awareness of the true nature of our world. In order to work on such skills students are challenged with trust and problem solving initiatives, where they can improve their ability to work as a member of a group and hone their individual leadership skills. In addition, time is set aside for self-reflection and appreciation of the natural world. We hope to combine our hard and soft skills in a few weeks to create an end of term final expedition. See you out there!

- Coach Seiscio

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White-water

The 2009 Spring Term began with a new observation by the coaches - the ratio of veterans to newcomers was eight to one, as proportion not seen prior to this year. This year also saw a change from the Housatonic Ten-Mile River Race to the Naugatuck River Six-Mile Race. The team trained for this competition on the waters of the Bantam River, the Farmington River, the Housatonic River, Long Meadow Pond, Satan's Kingdom, and the Shepaug River. Since all the team members were fairly experienced, the team got the chance to study more advanced canoeing techniques, namely, the high-brace, low-brace, and 180-degree canoe flip. When not preparing for the concluding Naugatuck race, the team took the time to enjoy picturesque New England woodlands, hiking in the Steep Rock reservation, the Hidden Valley Reservation, the nearby White Woods and Cascades, and the Bellamy Reserve. After the build-up period to the Naugatuck race, the team spent time relaxing at Nonnewaug Falls and played fun activities like Canoe Jousting to enjoy the close of Spring. All through the season they developed values of teamwork, competition, and the appreciation of nature that they will carry with them in the near future and beyond.

-Coach Craig

Spring Term Outdoor Ed takes its "Final Exam" challenging the gorge at Satan's Kingdom, a state park on the Farmington River in Litchfield County, Connecticut.