On Thursday, October 27, the day started early with sessions beginning at 8:45 A.M. and multiple buses departing from campus. On one, 23 students accompanied by art teacher Katie Leonard and counselor Terri Merwin traveled to McFadden Art Glass, a local glassblowing studio, where they learned the basics of glassblowing and created their own custom glass pumpkins.

 

At the same time, 19 students accompanied by music teacher John Babcock and Latin teacher Rick Norton explored a portion of the NCR trail on bikes while three other groups also ventured off campus: One for a scavenger hunt at the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA), another for a visit to a dairy farm, and the third for bouldering at a nearby rock-climbing gym.

 

Back on campus, the day continued with guided sessions on CPR training, composing, flag football, and more before concluding at 2:30 P.M.

 

On Friday, activities picked up right where they left off, with all Middle Schoolers leaving campus that morning to embark on still more adventures. At Sandy Spring Adventure Park, students participated in a high ropes course and team-building activities, while the “Dairy Discovery” crew learned the ins and outs of dairy farming with former Calvert teacher Katy Dallam. Closer to campus, small groups of students got hands-on experience free climbing or “bouldering” at Movement Hampden while still more of their friends returned to the BMA.

 

These unique offerings expose students to new environments and experiences beyond their comfort zones, where they find the support and compassion to broaden their horizons. Thank you to teachers Eric Cowell and Becky Kinney for planning this exceptional week – and to everyone who contributed!