09/24/2026
What do girls do for school while at camp?
For many girls who come to Wilderness Way, school has been a point of conflict. Sitting in a traditional classroom, staying focused, and keeping up academically may have been a struggle.
At camp, a girl lives in the classroom. Learning is woven into everyday life—from planning menus and budgeting for a canoe trip, to building tents, exploring the woods, and solving problems together.
Recently, the girls went snorkeling with the U.S. Forest Service in the Chattooga River. They learned what lives beneath the water, how to evaluate the health of a river, and even snatched up a few crawdads! Experiences like these bring learning to life and give girls a chance to discover that education can be interesting, useful, and fun.
Connecting people to the outdoors is an important and challenging part of the Forest Service mission. Students and teachers donned wetsuits, masks, and snorkels to view fish and aquatic insects in their natural habitat.
Additionally, a teacher provided through the local school district supplements this learning with year-round academic instruction, helping each girl continue to make progress in her education.
Thank you to Keith Whalen, the biologist of Forest Fisheries and the team from the Center for Aquatic Technology Transfer (CATT) for what they do in connecting students to the outdoors and delivering a conservation message through this nature immersion experience.
