At the beginning of each school year, our Middle and Upper School students participate in a beloved SD tradition: grade-level retreats and orientation trips. These off-campus adventures, typically in a nature-based outdoor setting, are intentionally designed to offer students the chance to stretch their limits, build trust and confidence, and deepen their sense of community with peers and teachers - all while having fun outside!
This year’s trips offered students a wide variety of experiences. Enjoy the photos!
Sixth Grade: Our sixth graders bonded and bounced with old and new friends alike at a nearby trampoline park, before heading out on a kayaking adventure and hike through Sausalito and the Marin Headlands.
Seventh Grade: Our seventh graders climbed aboard the Matthew Turner sailboat and headed out into San Francisco Bay on an “Oceanographer” course, complete with lessons on marine biology, ecology, and sustainability. Once back on dry land, students also practiced improv, learned hand-to-hand and broadsword stage fighting, and practiced scenes and soliloquies from Shakespeare's works.
Eighth Grade: The eighth graders headed to the South Fork of the American River, taking in the beauty of the river canyon, challenging their paddling skills in whitewater rafts, and sleeping riverside under the stars.
Ninth Grade: Our freshmen headed into San Francisco for an improv class, followed by a picnic at Crissy Field with a spectacular view of the Golden Gate Bridge. The following day, the class hopped on a ferry to Angel Island for a foggy-yet-gorgeous day visiting historical immigration sites, hiking, and checking out panoramic views of Marin, San Francisco and the East Bay hills.
Tenth Grade: Our sophomores reconnected after summer while kayaking on Tomales Bay, playing games and bonding on the beach, and sleeping under the beautiful stars.
Eleventh Grade: Our juniors reconnected with wilderness and with each other on a whitewater rafting trip down the South Fork of the American river, followed by a ropes course challenge at Quarry Park, topped off by overnight camping under the stars.
Twelfth Grade: Our seniors headed to the Marin Headlands, where they explored Rodeo Beach, challenged themselves on the steep trails of the Marin Headlands, forged meaningful relationships with their classmates and teachers, and reconnected with the natural world in one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s most pristine coastal locations.