Why do we do Adventure at DDES?
Promoting Adventure and Courage is a core practice of Expeditionary Learning (EL) and also a clear expression of EL’s roots in Outward Bound. One of the ways in which DDES puts EL into practice is through our Adventure program. Some main focuses of our program are to:
- Promote experiences that create opportunities for leadership and collaboration as students face challenges together
- Encourage students to discover they can do more than they thought was possible and find aspects of themselves they didn’t know existed
- Support students to reflect on their experience which helps create a rich opportunity for learning about oneself, one’s peers, and the world.
Why do we do Fieldwork and Service Learning at DDES?
Another core practice of the EL Education model is connecting students to the world beyond school through meaningful fieldwork, collaboration with experts, and service-learning. In addition to learning from text and classroom-based experiences, students at DDES use the natural and urban/social environments in our community as sites for purposeful fieldwork and service connected to student’s academic work. Our “City as Campus” vision enables students and teachers to explore our unique setting in Downtown Denver to find meaningful ways to connect student’s learning directly to their community.
How do we pull this off with a limited budget?
Once a year during summer registration, DDES asks ALL families to contribute to our Adventure & Fieldwork programs. That way we are not asking for donations for each individual trip and field excursion. We understand that not all families are in the position to contribute. If your student qualifies for Free and Reduced Lunch, or if your family is simply not in the position to currently pay, you can contribute $100/per student, or what contribution you are comfortable with at the time of registration. We are happy to accept partial donations and we will send out email reminders periodically throughout the year. Please know that ALL students fully participate in each program regardless of contribution and that DDES also has the equipment, clothing, sleeping bags, shoes, etc. to make sure all students feel comfortable and confident during their Adventure experiences.
