Middle School
Getting Kids Outside Again: The Wild Panthers @ the EWC program is back! Dennis Harter, Principal
One of the hardest aspects of the many months of home isolation this year has been seeing our young people trapped inside, inactive, often glued to screens. Parents and students craved interaction with others and they craved being outdoors again. As restrictions eased in Thailand, we saw increasing numbers of families outside in the neighborhood, jogging, biking, or walking. We all felt the imbalance of too much time alone and too much time inside. That’s why one of the most exciting pieces of reopening school was starting up our middle school Wild Panther program again. At the start of the school year ISB worked closely with the Ministries of Education and Health to ensure we met safety guidelines for our trip, program and Environmental Wilderness Campus (EWC). At the EWC, we put in cafeteria dividers, adjusted our room layouts, used more of the campus lodging, and developed mask and distancing protocols throughout the site. Director Elliott Bowyer and his teaching team adjusted the learning program to meet safety requirements while still providing a rich, active, outdoor experience. Starting in the third week of school, our grade 7 students began their Wild Panthers program. Each week, 20-24 students spent 3 days and 2 nights at the EWC engaged in the grade 7 outdoor ed pro-
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TOUCHSTONE Issue 1 / 2020-2021
