In this section:

Integrated
Adventure

Athletics/ Leisure

Personal Growth

Intersession Trips

Personal Growth

The adventure program at Oliverian is designed around the idea of growth. In taking part in adventure programs, students have the opportunity to challenge themselves physically and mentally in a safe environment. In adventure settings, our students have the opportunity to make good choices, practice judgment, learn to find common ground and navigate through conflict. As a school we constantly evaluate how our adventure programs are benefiting students, and try to work with our students to better fit their needs to grow as capable and confident adults.

Students are encouraged (never forced) to be a part of adventures from the planning stages to execution. This unique approach allows for the students to rise to challenges that they create, and choose to be a part of. This allows for the Oliverian student to truly practice and discover their autonomy.

Our students, like most adolescents, wrestle with questions of identity and self-efficacy (“How do I fit in with the world? How capable am I?”). This is important to acknowledge particularly in students who have met with difficulty in more traditional environments. Adventure approaches help establish a culture where students feel comfortable “trying on” different aspects of identity, including taking different risks and accepting new levels of responsibility. Furthermore, adventure approaches can serve as metaphors for other areas of life—behavior that emerges on a ropes course is typically not unlike behavior that appears in the classroom or among friends. In an environment where students have more input into their own learning process, it becomes safe to examine the meaning of these behaviors so the student and the group can benefit and grow.