PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

The American Community School firmly believes that Outdoor Education is an essential component of character development and physical education, and that all students will benefit from the unique experiences that our extended outdoor trips provide.We believe a student should leave the outdoor experience a more versatile, knowledgeable child than when he or she arrived and should acquire an intensified appreciation of the environment during his or her stay.

A New Addition 

The American Community School along with Andre Bechara, who heads the Outdoor Education Team, set their sights on a pine forest near Deir el-Qamar. It took 15 months of negotiations with the local authorities, and ACS was able to secure some 10,000 square meters of prime land on a hill top in the Chouf Mountains.                                            

Andre Bechara and Wissam Assouad of the Outdoor Department, together with Pierre Abou Rjeily, the ACS ranger at Deir El Kamar, spent their entire summer cleaning the land. “The place had 30 years of accumulated garbage. You have no idea what people throw. And then we had to clear the land of bushes, and make sure it was safe for our students. It was a lot of work,” explains Andre. The result is well worth it.

The ACS campground is situated in a pine forest on a ridge, overlooking the valley of the Damour River. A garden and a possible small animal farm is in the making as well. The grounds will be used by all grades for overnight camping trips, picnics and environmental field trips throughout the year.

During each experience at The Outdoor facility at Deir EL Qamar, we strive to compliment the school science curriculum and outdoor knowledge , offering experiential-based lessons that enhance students' abilities to understand the topics being presented. We understand the pressures put upon schools to cover curriculum materials, and work with school staff to assure that goals are met and that students value the information they receive. Also, an attempt is made to reflect our feelings about people's relationship to, and their effect on the environment. Our ultimate goal is for students to develop an awareness of the environment that will lead to an understanding of natural balances, thereby shaping a positive environmental ethic to guide their future behaviors.  

CORE THEMES

Outdoor Education is driven by three core themes of sense of place, interconnections, and stewardship. In addition to these core themes, themes of community building, responsibility and self-esteem are major components of a successful outdoor education program.

• Sense of Place: observing, mapping, questioning, and building relationships with others and with a place emphasizing exploration, wonder and safety
• Interconnections: identifying and classifying, noting inter-relationships based on ecological principles, investigating with the circle of scientific logic
• Stewardship: promoting awareness and appreciation for shared environments, thinking critically, and evaluating diverse action strategies

Through the Outdoor Education Program, ACS seeks to:

• Build student confidence through engagement in physically and socially challenging activities; and team building games.
• Promote class bonding, cooperative learning, and personal responsibility;
• Provide students with training in lifelong, outdoor sports; and
• Encourage students to respect and value nature.

Upper Elementary, Middle School and High School students will be involved in a variety of day trips and overnight trips designed to meet these objectives.