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Mission Statement: Eighth Grade Camping Program The core mission of the St. Francis School Eighth Grade Camping Program is to conduct a safe and structured educational experience designed to inspire self esteem, self reliance, concern for others, and care for the environment. The Program is intentionally designed to allow students the opportunity meet challenges and move beyond self-imposed limitations through responsible risk-taking and hands-on involvement. This mission supports and underscores the guiding philosophical commitment of St. Francis School to provide student’s with enriching, diverse, and challenging learning opportunities within a nurturing community. The educational and physical challenges presented by this Program extend and support the academic curriculum by offering students an opportunity to further enrich their intellectual, emotional, and spiritual growth while empowering them to become responsible people. A HISTORY OF EIGHTH GRADE CAMPING During the late 1980’s St. Francis eighth graders spent one week during the fall at Bradford Woods, the Indiana University outdoor/experiential education center. The Bradford Woods experience had challenging components, but left our faculty feeling that something was missing. There was too much sitting around waiting for “your” turn to perform and not enough hands on learning. With the permission of Head of school Phil Demartini, our faculty designed an experience which filled in the missing pieces. 1993 was an historic year for an eighth grade class which was an all male class. We purchased tents, stoves, cook sets and all of the gear necessary to provide a quality backpacking experience to prepare for the school’s first “camping “ trip. The location was Red River Gorge, which gave us some great hiking and camping opportunities. Several years later, we chose The Big South Fork as a location which provided even more options to enhance the experience. Based on reactions from faculty and students and parents, our decision to provide our own “in house” experience has been very positive. In fact, the eighth grade camping trip may be the highlight of the year for our students.
Physical Education
St. Francis School
11000 US Highway 42
Goshen, Kentucky 40026
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