Outdoor & Ecological Learning Department

Powell River School District is a unique school district due to our ocean, lake and mountain environment. Our beautiful and diverse location attracts students from other school districts to enjoy and appreciate these features, while providing excellent outdoor educational experiences.

The Outdoor & Ecological Learning Department is dedicated to providing students with outdoor educational opportunities that reinforce their connection to the natural world and foster sustainability. We focus on giving students the necessary skills to think critically about personal choices and the relationships between society, economy, culture and the environment. Through leadership initiatives and healthy outdoor activities, students are empowered to make positive change in the world.

We currently provide a number of dynamic outdoor programs with high school credit in Leadership Studies, Sustainability Studies, Adventure Tourism, Work Experience, Physical Education, and Film Production. All programs connect learners to the outdoor learning environment through the principles of Personalized Learning highlighting hands-on, project-based and inquiry-based learning. While most programs are offered between July and August, others like the Coast Mountain Academy are part of the high school semester system and are offered from February to June. Other outdoor programming highlights include summer camps for elementary students and our international students.

"The Outdoor & Ecological Learning Programs in School District 47 help to fill a huge void in modern society: the void between what’s taught in the classroom and the day-to-day miracles happening outside. I can think of no better way to close this gap than to get kids into wild areas where Nature does the teaching, affecting students in ways that stick with them
for the rest of their lives."
- Karsten Heuer, Explorer, Wildlife Biologist, Author