London M.
“Before Outdoor School, I wasn’t very good at noticing my surroundings, but now I feel like that has changed and I can see the little, tiny things and it makes my hiking experiences—and normal walks through the park—more enjoyable. I think it’s really beautiful and that’s what Outdoor School is all about.”
My name is London and I went to Camp Arrah Wanna for Outdoor School with my science class. Well, our school was separated into three groups: one that went to Camp Howard, one that went to Sandy River, and mine that went to Camp Arrah Wanna.
I went to Sellwood Middle School. Three schools fed into Sellwood: Dunaway, Llewellyn, and Lewis Elementary. I came from Llewellyn and because it was so early in the year I only knew a third of the students in my class which made me kind of nervous to go to Outdoor School because I only knew these handful of children.
But, in the end, I made a lot more friends from different schools, like my friend, Alexa, who I still sit with every day at lunch and that’s been two years now.
My favorite part of Outdoor School was the solo hike. I remember it pretty vividly. We were sent to walk on a trail at ten-minute intervals so we felt alone. There were little notes placed along the trail pointing out like animal tracks or scratches or little places in the dirt that are different, and they told us sometimes to go just look up at the sky. It really changed the way I view nature and the park and other places. I now am able to notice the small things. Before Outdoor School, I wasn’t very good at noticing my surroundings, but now I feel like that has changed and I can see the little, tiny things and it makes my hiking experiences—and normal walks through the park—more enjoyable. I think it’s really beautiful and that’s what Outdoor School is all about.
Photo Credit: Gavin Mahaley
