Signature Program: Outdoor Education
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Tony Adler
Director of Outdoor Education
Signature Programs
St. John’s Signature Programs broaden the student experience and cultivate a love of learning both inside and outside of the classroom. These Signature Programs provide a holistic education that extends classroom learning, encourages students to explore different areas of interest, teaches new skills, and helps children deepen their understanding of the world around them.
Outdoor Education
Outdoor Education activities have existed at St. John’s for many years, and the program rests on the pillars of curriculum, conservation, and character development. At each grade-level, St. John's has integrated projects into the curriculum to teach students about natural resources and conservation. Garden Enterprise is a seventh and eighth grade elective in which students manage our donation garden. For several years, we’ve annually provided thousands of pounds of produce to Aunt Bette’s Community Pantry at St. Philip’s School and Community Center. Additionally, several grade-level overnight trips blend character development, geography, and conservation during these extraordinary outdoor experiences.
As one of St. John's Signature Programs, our Outdoor Education curriculum guides students through a series of hands-on experiences where science, math, and art converge through myriad opportunities outside of the classroom. Outdoor Education collaborations are in progress across every grade level. For example, second and fourth grades head to the Dallas Arboretum for classes to extend their units on insects and soil science. The seventh grade French class established the new French potager garden, and the first graders have a great time observing fall hummingbird migration in the outdoor classroom.
In the Garden Enterprise elective, Middle School students tore down the summer garden, seeded fall crops, completed monthly water testing at the Dixon Branch Creek across from campus, and designed a special St. John’s branded food label for the prepared foods that come from our campus. Our Outdoor Education allows students to engage in their community and support many organizations to further deepen their experiences at St. John's.