Outdoor Club

In the midst of teaching multiple classes, attending games, and preparing lessons, teachers prioritize forming meaningful relationships with students. After all, it’s only ever about the students - and about watching them grow as intellectuals and humans before our eyes.

But rarely are we given the opportunity to form bonds with students, and to watch students bond in ways that they aren’t able to do at school.

Greenfield’s Outdoor Club is the perfect venue for this - a place where students can not only bond but also be challenged physically and mentally. 

On Outdoor Club trips, students take ownership of the very act of living. They take only what they can carry on their backs, disconnect from the hustle and bustle of daily life, and reconnect with the world and each other. Students often remark that the days seem a lot longer without a laundry list to to-do’s, which is precisely the point: the overarching ethos of the Outdoor Club is to be present in the present. 

The club goes on four trips a year, each to a different state park or venue in North Carolina. Each trip is at least one overnight, and accessible for students of varying levels and abilities.

The club’s first trip to Goose Creek State Park (27-28 October) took students to the coast, where they cooked venison quesadillas, ate s’mores, and saw dolphins and bald eagles while walking the Carolina coast. 

Two weeks later, they embarked on a two-night backpacking trip to Eno River State Park in Durham County, where students cooked carnitas, enjoyed fall foliage, and learned how to select wood for campfires. 

The spring will bring two more opportunities for trips: a three-night backpacking trip along North Carolina’s Mountains to Sea Trail and a two-night trip to hike Mount Mitchell, the tallest mountain east of the Mississippi River.

Trips in previous years have been to hike Cold Mountain (two nights), Eno River State Park (one night), and Hanging Rock State Park (two nights). 

If you have questions about Outdoor Club trips, please contact Mr. Alex Benoit at [email protected].