Outdoor Education Program

8th Grade Ecolink Preview

Noah's Ark Adventure

A preview of the Rocky Mountains adventure that kicks off the school year for 8th Grade in Central Colorado.

Mission Statement

Holy Spirit Episcopal School initiated its outdoor education program to foster respect, love, and understanding for our environment, to encourage students to pursue mental, physical, and spiritual challenges, and to develop leadership, cooperation, and tolerance.

To fulfill this mission, Holy Spirit has established the Ecolink Outdoor Education program, which seeks to achieve goals that correspond with those of the science and history curricula of the appropriate grade, and to provide a better understanding of subject content and the opportunity to apply knowledge gained in the classroom.

Ecolink Outdoor Education Objectives:

To promote a feeling of unity and shared experience outside the classroom.
To promote an understanding of various ecological habitats.
To develop and improve leadership and communication skills.
To develop in students a love and respect for the natural world.
To enlist the active participation of each student by engaging their hands and imagination in a direct learning process.
To broaden students' personal awareness and experience with outdoor living/travel procedures and safety.

Ecolink Trips for 2019-2020

3rd Grade: Camp Allen (campallen.org)

Camp Allen, located in a “piney woods” ecosystem near Navasota, provides "hands on" educational experiences that enhance classroom learning. The experiences are integrated into a complete program that helps participants gain a well-rounded understanding of current issues, environmental respect, history, and human relationships. This is a three-day trip that takes place in November.

4th and 5th Grade: Camp Eagle (www.campeagle.org )

The 4th and 5th grade will spend a week at Camp Eagle in West Texas. Camp Eagle is nestled in the beautiful and rugged Texas Hill Country near the headwaters of the spring-fed Nueces River. At Camp Eagle students will experience hands-on education through wild adventures, spiritual growth and outdoor adventure in a setting that’s unlike any classroom. This is a four-day trip that takes place in October.

6th Grade: WildernessTrek at Camp Glorieta in New Mexico (www.wildernesstrek.org)

The 6^th grade will get to zip line, participate in ropes course, mountain bike and mountain scooter, as well as enjoy an overnight kayak trip along the Rio Grande river with a hobo cookout, followed by rock climbing near Taos, NM. And as always our last night at camp concludes with a talent show, campfire, s’mores, and debrief with the incredible guides and counselors. This trip takes place in September.

7th Grade: Catalina Island Marine Institute (cimi.org)

Located on Catalina Island, off the coast of southern California, students will spend time in ecology discussions, snorkeling, kayaking, hiking and hands-on lab investigations that are very effective in teaching marine ecology concepts. This is a four-day trip takes place in September.

8th Grade: Noah's Ark Adventure Trip (noahsark.com)

The eighth grade trip is a six-day adventure experience in August at Noah's Ark Adventure camp near Central Colorado. This trip offers our students an exciting rafting, hiking and camping adventure in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. This is the final Ecolink experience for HSES students and draws upon all the skills and understandings developed throughout previous Ecolink/Outdoor Education trips.