ORIENTATION 1

August

What: The orientation trip introduces the group to one another and the flow of the semester while also giving them a little taste of academic field work.

Who: Rafting guides & DNR staff she taught environmental science and biology. Ms. S has a long career teaching at outdoor schools all around the country, building her acumen for teaching in non-conventional and hands-on ways. Ultimately, this dynamic duo is working passionately to design a program that helps students deeply connect with the Chesapeake Bay watershed—its beauty, the environmental questions it poses, and the possibility for change.

Where: The western headwaters of the watershed out in western Maryland and eastern West Virginia. The group rafted in Harpers Ferry, camped along the Savage River, learned about native trout populations and benthic organisms, and hiked Dolly Sods.

Follow along on this past semester’s overnight expeditions and day trips to see for yourself how students see, feel, and experience the watershed!

In the midst of the semester we also try to take advantage of Gunston’s amazing campus. Dr. Bill Schindler, P’26 and owner of Modern Stone Age Kitchen in Chestertown, Md., led the group in a foraging and plant identification workshop. Once students know the names of various plants, their connection to the land really starts to grow. Students leave the semester with a new appreciation for what they walk by every day.