Field Trips & Summer Camps
Learning Opportunities Cleverly Disguised as Fun
Experiential learning is a lofty term for a basic truth: We all learn from experiences. Classroom instruction is essential, but many things are best taught by exposing students to new people, environments, ideas, perspectives, and challenges. Two ways we do that at St. James School are through field trips during the school year and camps in the summer.
80+ Field Trips Every Year
Planned off-campus excursions take students to a wide variety of historic, cultural, and other sites where they have memorable, immersive experiences. Some field trips are extensions of academic content the students are studying, some are related to an enrichment, and some are rewards, such as the trip to Uncle Bobbie’s bookshop for Student of the Month winners. To ensure everyone can participate, families do not pay for field trips, they are included in the full scholarship each student receives.
Recent field trips by grade level have included: 4th Grade trip to Smith Playground; 5th Grade trip to The Philadelphia Zoo; 6th Grade trip to Adventure Aquarium: Camden; 7th Grade trip to Old City Philadelphia for a Double Decker tour; and 8th Grade trip to Washington DC.
Summer Camps Delight and Challenge
The extended year at St. James School includes a month of summer camp in which learning, leadership, and team-building activities are cleverly disguised as play. New 4th graders spend most of their time on campus, with a few local outings. Rising 5th to 8th graders start with a week of sleepaway camp to which the graduating class is also invited, then return for a series of themed immersive day camps on campus.
A highlight of every student’s St. James experience is the annual week together at NorthBay Adventure Camp on the shores of Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. Some graduates now return as paid counselors. Four days in June are packed with activities that delight and challenge everyone, from swimming, boating, and fishing to rock climbing, ropes courses, and ziplining. Students cheer on peers as they overcome common fears like heights and being in water. The three nights feature Mass on the beach at sunset, campfires, and participatory entertainment.
For most students, the month following NorthBay is on campus, trying new things each week by choosing from a menu of themed camps. Themes have included Theater, Soccer, Science, Choir, Band, Arts & Crafts, and Health & Wellness.
Each year, Graduate Support arranges for some of our older students, as well as graduates, to travel to sleepaway camps in the great outdoors from Delaware to Maine. Participants gain confidence while navigating on their own in unfamiliar settings and making new friends.
To help us sustain and expand the work of St. James School, make a tax-deductible contribution here. To learn more about supporting our school through one of PA’s Educational Tax Credit programs, please contact our Advancement Team at [email protected] or 215-226-1276 x121 or visit our tax credit information page.
