MARIN ACADEMY
OUTINGS
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Welcome from the MA Outings Director!
Welcome from the MA Outings Director!
I grew up reading science fiction novels, books imagining how the world might be in 10, 50, 100 years. When I think about the future, I think about engaging with what cannot yet be known. When you sign up for an outing, you might be working with a shorter timespan, but still, there’s a lot you don’t know. Who else might sign up? Will your time stay free? How will the weather be that day, and your homework load, and your energy? When you show up for a hike, or a surf lesson, or a trip to the theater, or a weekend of camping or backpacking, you’re leaping into these unknowns with curiosity and courage. You’re accepting a challenge to resourcefulness, to use the tools at your disposal not only to solve whatever problems might arise, but also to build shared experiences of adventure and joy.
The best stories need more than a good concept, though– they also rely on compelling relationships. You’ve heard Tyren speak the words “We are a relational school.” What does the word “relational” mean? It can simply pertain to kinship and putting relationship at the center of our decisions, but I’m drawn to the Sonoma County nonprofit Weaving Earth’s use of the term. They assert “that education must critically engage inherited systems of separation and domination, and at the same time, responsibly recollect a deeper human inheritance: stories of interrelationship, belonging, dignity and respect. At the root of this deeper inheritance is the embodied remembering that humans are a part of nature, not apart from it.”
So, when you join an outing, look around the introductory circle— these people will be your community, for a few hours or days, your entertainment and your fellow problem-solvers. You’ll laugh together, almost certainly get frustrated, and get to know one another more deeply. You’ll also have the chance to connect to one another and to the places you visit in a spacious, focused, playful way. The granite in the Sierras, the springwater flowing down Mount Tam’s flanks, the migrating birds you’ve come to watch, the other members of the audience in the theater, all become part of this network. Walking into a new group of people takes courage and an open mind and heart. It also serves you well to practice this skill, as it will make almost any work, school, or social group you join in the future feel like an unfurling of possibility.
I hear many seniors say they wish they’d gone on more outings, even that they wish someone had made them go on outings so they would have found the time. No one’s making you do anything, but you can get ahead of those regrets! You are all busy, committed people with a million claims to your time and attention. I ask of you that you take some time to look at the Outings catalog anyway. You may feel like you don’t have time or space or it’s just not for you— but Outings happen at all kinds of times (before school! After school! On weekends!) and they really are for everyone. If there’s a trip that almost works for you, if it left an hour later or got back an hour sooner, feel free to reach out to the leaders or to me. It won’t always be possible, but sometimes that’s a tweak we can make. If you look at the catalog and don’t see something that would light you up with enthusiasm, reach out to me and we’ll see if it’s something that might fit in a future catalog— there are four catalogs each year! Time spent in community, learning about the extraordinary region we call home BY IMMERSING OURSELVES in all the region has to offer— is truly time spent well.
– Leslie Beach '04
Fall '26
Check out our current catalog of offerings here!
MARIN ACADEMY OUTINGS POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
SIGN UPS AND PERMISSION FORMS
MA outings are open to everyone and each outing has a maximum number of students it can safely accommodate. Our sign up system is designed to be smooth, to increase communication with students, and to maximize trip participation. The process is outlined below:
Outings sign ups have three steps. You are not signed up for an outing until all three stages are complete.
Students receive an email with a link to an online sign up form on the day that sign ups open. Students should fill out a separate form for each outing they hope to participate in.
Step 1: Sign Up Online
Step 2: Receive “Trip Status” Email
Students will receive an email from Leslie letting them know if they are ON an outing, or on the WAITLIST for an outing.
Step 3: Turn In Permission Form To Confirm Spot On Outing or Waitlist
Once they have received email confirmation of their outing’s status, students must turn in permission forms through DocuSign to confirm their spot both on an outing and on an outing’s waitlist. If students do NOT wish to be on a trip or waitlist, they must email outings@ma.org.
Turning in a permission form signifies that students and families have CHECKED THEIR CALENDARS and have confirmed that the student will be participating in the outing. It also signifies that all parties understand that a trip cancellation fee will be applied to the family if the student cancels within two weeks of the outing.
PERMISSION FORMS
Permission forms will be processed through DocuSign, available through the links above.
SIGN-UP DATES FOR THE FALL 2023 OUTINGS SEASON
Thursday, September 7th
Outings Assembly, Catalog Released to Campus and Online
Friday, September 8th
Sign-ups open! Sign up by midnight on Monday for equal weight in the lottery to get on a trip. Sign ups open for trips through the end of October.
Thursday, October 12th
November-December Trips announced; trip sign-ups begin!
Friday, October 13th
Sign up by midnight for equal weight in the lottery to get on a trip! Sign ups open for trips through the end of the semester.
TRIP PARTICIPANT SELECTION PROCESS
Trips are filled on a first come, first serve basis EXCEPT for signups that are received on the first two days of a sign up period. Sign ups received during this time will be considered with equal weight, and trip participants will be selected with a lottery system. Important Note: You can continue to sign up for trips that have space up to 2 weeks before the trip runs, and sometimes even after that. Contact leaders directly if you’d like to sign up close to the trip’s run date.
WAITLIST
Students are OFTEN selected from a waitlist. If you are still interested in an outing and you are on the waitlist, turn in your permission form to confirm your spot and keep the weekend free for as long as you can!
GEAR FOR LEND
The MA Outings Program maintains a collection of clean and quality gear available to students to borrow through the gear check out system. Please do not let not owning gear keep you from going on an outing. Talk to Leslie or Liz about what gear you need and we will try to supply you with the necessary equipment. Borrowed gear should be returned clean and promptly. Students may be charged for lost, broken, or non-returned gear.
ELECTRONICS AND CELL PHONES
Use of cell phones and other electronics is not permitted on MA Outings without permission from the outings leaders. As a standing rule, students may not text or make calls or receive calls from the vans or while on an outing. If communication with home or elsewhere is necessary, check with your MA Outings leader first.
MISSING CLASSES AND PRACTICES
Students are responsible for pre-arranging their absences with their teachers and coaches. No pre-arranged absence form is required but clear communication prior to going on the outing is. Going on an outing is not an excuse for not completing one’s homework or missing tests, and extensions are not guaranteed. However, in the spirit of supporting MA’s co-curricular programs, teachers and coaches are asked to be as flexible as possible in allowing students to participate in outings.
Check with your teachers and coaches at least a week in advance of your trip and make every effort to complete required work ahead of time. You are still accountable for class assignments, assessments, and homework.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We acknowledge that MA Outings take place on the ancestral lands of indigenous people past and present. We honor with gratitude the land itself and the people who have stewarded it throughout the generations. We commit to strengthening our understanding of the past and present colonization of this land, and how we can be better stewards. This semester, outings will take place on the traditional lands of Coast Miwok, Pomo, Ohlone, Amah Mutsun, and Kashayah people.
TRIP FEES
MA Outings leaders make every attempt to be frugal in running outings and to price them as affordably as possible. Student trip fees are calculated to cover only the necessary expenses. These include food, fuel, equipment rental, and permitting. We publish an anticipated cost, with the expectation that trips may go slightly under or slightly over budget. We will charge families what the trip costs, while pledging not to go more than $15 over anticipated cost for overnight trips, or $10 over anticipated cost for day trips.
Financial aid is available for those students who qualify through the Admissions Office.
PE CREDIT
PE credit is automatically granted for MA Outings carrying the “PE credit available” notation. Credit is awarded for outings with a strong skills basis and a clear athletic component. Credit is given at a rate of 0.125 credits a day (with multiday trips aggregating credits as they go).
CANCELLATIONS
Once you turn in your permission form you have committed to going on your chosen outing. If you cancel your commitment to an outing within two weeks of your trip’s departure date your family will be charged a cancellation fee: $25 for day trips and $50 for overnight trips. Additionally, if we are unable to fill your spot your family may still be charged whatever cost of the outing the program cannot recover in order to maintain the affordability of the outing for all students.
Cancellations are permissible in the event of illness or family crisis. Such cancellations should be made with the Director of Outings directly as soon as the student and family are aware of them.
These policies are intended to assure that the value of our Outings Department is realized, and experienced by as many people as possible.
Archive of past catalogs
Spring 2024 (January/February/March)
Spring 2023 (January/February/March)
Fall 2021 Catalog (September/October)
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