An initiative to explore
outdoor learning spaces & experiences
An initiative to explore
outdoor learning spaces & experiences
Started in the fall of 2020, an extraordinary coalition of students and faculty have come together to design and create several educational spaces throughout the woods and trails of the Hawken Upper School campus. In a back field and surrounding woods, you can find multiple fire pits, seating, and modest structures, student designed and student built. One structure, the 1/4 Barn, will serve as the seed for what we imagine as a center for outdoor education at Hawken, a learning space integrated with our natural resources that can serve many functions. It’s a lab for sustainable design, a field biology station, an outdoor performance space, an art studio, a retreat center, and a place where the community can come together. Most of all, it’s a tangible sign of our ability to come together and make a lasting difference.
2021 May Intensive - Barn Raising
2022 May Intensive - Barn Raising 2.o
2024-2025 Sustainable Design - Barn Raising 3.0
Fab Play Studio - Projects (Fall Intensive)
Prototyping and Design (Spring Course)
Engineering Macro (Spring Course)
Barn Raising (Spring Intensive)
Hawken Senior Project (Spring)
Fab Lab Interns
Stage Craft (Spring)
Outdoor Leadership
The initiative has benefitted from a lead gift from the Schneider family, which has allowed us to study a range of options for the space (from a central large structure to a decentralized educational “village”) and to weather the fluctuations in building material prices. But the project is a long term one and needs a sustainable source of funding to reach its potential. Teachers and students imagine improved trail systems, a canopy walk, and the ability to build and maintain enough shelter to host multiple classes along the creek and in the field. We see the Hawken experience shifting from classes in a building surrounded by fields, streams and woods, to an education that includes circles around campfires, birding under the big beech trees, long discussions on long walks on the trails, and a sense of belonging to the wild and beautiful land we walk in. To date, over 100 students have touched this project in one way or another. With support, such experiences could become a standard part of every student’s time at Hawken.
Hawken Maps
A series of maps to help navigate and share our outdoor trails with you.