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The Lawrenceville School’s Outdoor Programs provides students with experientially based initiatives that educate them in responsible leadership, community engagement, and character development while also providing adventures in the outdoor environment that enhance both academic and non-academic skills. These experientially based learning opportunities are designed to reach across multiple disciplines (i.e., academic, athletic, residential, and extracurricular components of the School curriculum) and enrich the development of students as responsible members of the Lawrenceville and global communities.
Outdoor Leadership
The Outdoor Leadership Program, an alternative athletic activity, is an afternoon program offered by Outdoor Programs. The goal of this course is to teach students the skills, understanding and attitude to be competent leaders both in the field and within their community in everyday life.
We focus on two aspects of effective outdoor leadership:
Developing competent technical skills in an outdoor arena.
Fall Term: Rock Climbing, Ropes Course, and Canoeing
Winter Term: Competitive Indoor Climbing Team
Spring Term: Canoeing and Rock Climbing
Developing effective leadership skills including communication, conflict resolution, decision making, group dynamics, team work, teaching, and risk management.
Outing Club
The Outing Club is a student led organization, dedicated to creating fun and exciting outdoor trips and adventures for The Lawrenceville School. Students meet bi-weekly to plan and debrief trips, as well as learn valuable outdoor skills to be used in future adventures. No experience is necessary to participate in the Outing Club or on any of our trips.
Past trips have included:
- Evening rock climbing sessions at Rockville Climbing Center
- Backpacking in the Catskill Mountains
- Camping and Hiking in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
- Rock Climbing at Ralph Stover State Park
- Canoeing in the NJ Pinelands
- Ski trips to the Poconos and Vermont
Ropes Course Program
The Ropes Course Program is a student led, challenge course program for The Lawrenceville School. The Joshua L. Miner Ropes Course ("The Josh"), Lawrenceville’s climbing complex, was constructed by Alpine Towers, Inc. in August, 1999. The course includes 3 major climbing structures (Alpine Tower, outdoor climbing wall, and high ropes course).
Students have the opportunity to climb on the course through several programs, including:
- Second Form Orientation
- Circle and Crescent House Teambuilding Sundays
- Athletic Team
- Academic Class Workshops
- Third Form Science Pendulum Lab
- All School Open Climbs
Instructors
All ropes course programming is student led by a team consisting of 26 Instructors (III, IV, and V Formers), 4 Head Instructors (V Formers) and is supervised by trained faculty.
Whether entering the program as practiced leaders, or having never held leadership roles, our Ropes Course Instructors gain valuable experience working with peers in teambuilding activities and high ropes climbing. Ropes Course Instructors are adept at balancing safety with exciting experiences in which fellow students feel comfortable to stretch in to their personal learning zones. Through instructor facilitation, students develop important collaborative skills and personal achievements that can be transferred to their daily lives.
Facilities
The Joshua L. Miner Ropes Course ("The Josh"), Lawrenceville’s climbing complex, was constructed by Alpine Towers, Inc. (ATI) in August, 1999. The course includes 3 major climbing structures (Alpine Tower II, Carolina Climbing Wall, High Ropes Course).