Each year our 3rd-12th grades participate in our unique Traveling School Program. For one week each spring, our students and teachers take school on the road. Teachers tailor their curriculum to focus on the area, activities, and cultural events that students will get to visit first-hand. Students prepare for this journey through various homework and reading assignments that will help enrich their experience. Read on to learn more about some examples of our traveling school program.
Lower School Traveling School - Oregon History
For lower school students, academic work broke out of the classroom and into the state of Oregon itself, providing an exciting journey into Oregon's history and culture.
Students in grades 3-5 embarked on their Oregon adventure in May. They learned about the Lewis and Clark expedition while aboard the Sternwheeler Columbia Gorge, an authentic triple-deck paddle wheeler. After disembarking from the Sternwheeler, they continued on to the Maryhill Museum of Art, which featured many interesting art collections, including over 200 chess sets.
The next day, students traveled back 100 years to experience the West while taking part in the Pendleton Underground Tour. Their Oregon education continued with visits to the Umatilla County Museum, the Pendleton Woolen Mills, a visit to the Oregon Interpretive Center, and the Oregon Trail Regional Museum.
On Thursday, it was time to head outdoors to the Sumpter Valley State Heritage area, home to one of the oldest gold dredges in the country. Then it was time to stretch their legs and head out for a hike to Strawberry Lake for lunch. The day also included a visit to the Kam Wah Chung Museum, which featured artifacts and displays that showed the trials of everyday life for the Chinese labor force in the late 1800's.
Before driving back to school on Friday, students visited the John Day Fossil Beds and took part in a simulated dig at the Painted Hills Visitor Center.
Middle School Traveling School - San Francisco
Middle School students became historians, scientists, artists, and scholars as they traveled to the City by the Bay. Students prepared for the journey with specific lessons and units that spanned their curriculum. Activities included a guided tour of the Marine Mammal Center in Fort Barry, a visit to the Marin Headlands Regional Park, and an interpretive tour of Fort Point Historical Park.
Of course, no visit to San Francisco could be without a memorable walk across the stunning Golden Gate Bridge. As the sun set, it was time for a night interpretive tour of Alcatraz. One of the many highlights of the trip was a docent tour of the new de Young Museum and the Legion of Honor. Other fun stops along the way that week included trips to the Steinhart Aquarium, the Museum of Natural History, the Morrison Planetarium, the Bay Model in Sausalito, and a visit to the Exploratorium, including a crawl through the famous tactile dome. The middle school students still had lots of energy, so it was off for a day of rollerblading through Golden Gate Park, a walking tour of Chinatown, and GPS scavenger hunt through the city!
Upper School Traveling School - American Southwest
Exceptional learning truly came alive for Cascade Academy's Upper School students, who traveled together for eight days to the American Southwest. Students were immersed in anthropology, geology, astronomy and adventure sports, all while living on the Green Tortoise bus! The Green Tortoise is a modified sleeper coach that allowed Cascades Academy students to travel, talk, study, cook, eat, sleep and camp together, making the trip a very memorable educational experience.
Their itinerary included visits to Moab, Canyon Lands National Park, Chaco Canyon National Historical Park, Hovenweep National Monument, Mesa Verde National Park, and a very special trip to the Acoma Pueblo, the oldest continuously inhabited city in the United States.
Mountain biking, hiking, white water rafting, and even rock climbing gave the students an opportunity to get out of their comfort zone while enjoying the beauty of the Southwest.
This incredible learning experience was supplemented with reading, research, writing, and discussion. Students were able to do research before the trip and specialize in certain areas in order to become field experts on site. Edward Abbey's "Desert Solitaire" figured prominently in their studies.
