CAMPUS AS CLASSROOM

Environmental stewardship is a core value of the outdoor experience at Hackley. Our incredible campus is made up of 285 acres, and about 150 of those acres is undeveloped land. Several years ago, the Hackley Earth Action League (HEAL) was created to raise awareness about environmental issues on the Hilltop, and to take action to help alleviate these issues as much as possible. HEAL strives to make Hackley a more ecofriendly place by educating students about the importance of conservation and sustainability, and gradually implementing strategies for environmental conservation into campus life. HEAL is a K-12 endeavor led by Ms. Adams, Mr. Ogden, and Mrs. DiStefano. In addition to HEAL, the Hackley Outdoor Club, led by Mr. Wright, focuses on environmentalism and outdoor adventure for Upper School students.

includes Lower and Middle School campouts with Mr. and Mrs. Retzloff, winter ski trips to Vermont with Mr. Pickert, and exhausting fitness challenges and girls’ soccer mud runs with coaching legend Mr. Allison, who always went first! For decades, Mrs. Harmon has taken Lower School children into the woods for fresh air. She has also offered summer courses where students create kindness rocks and hide them in the Hackley Forest for anyone to find and brighten their day. In the Upper School, Mr. Gillard and Mr. Stanek have led countless Casten trips to Belize, Costa Rica, Honduras, Dominica, Bolivia, and Peru, all offering such outdoor pursuits as scuba diving, snorkeling, white water rafting, kayaking, and horseback riding.

Fortunately, the modern Hackley outdoor experience continues to thrive and is led by a number of talented educators. Ms. Johnson has literally built the orchard from the ground up over the past few years, and it has become one of the most beautiful outdoor spaces on campus. In the last decade and a half, Mr. Eleck has led countless rock-climbing trips on and off the Hilltop. Mr. Ogden is a passionate fisherman and has brought Hackley students to the waters of Connecticut, the Long Island Sound, and the Adirondacks.

Since my first experience in the outdoors, nearly 20 years ago now, I have been very fortunate to have hiked, camped, swam, mountain biked, and climbed all over the United States and around the world. I am even more fortunate that Hackley fully supports my outdoor pursuits and provides opportunities for myself and others to teach our love for the outdoors. Though the school has never had a formal Outdoor Education program, there have been many outdoor enthusiasts who have taken students into the great outdoors, here on the Hilltop and beyond. Over the years, former and current colleagues have offered a wide range of outdoor and environmental experiences to their students. This

Mrs. Tranchida’s geocaching course each summer has proven to be a huge hit with Hackley students. Mrs. DiStefano recently received the Elizabeth Abernathy Hull Award by the Garden Club of America for her outstanding contributions to the environmental education of youth, specifically for her work with the Hackley Lower School Garden.

Personally, I am in debt to both Ms. Maddox and Ms. Budde, who have joined me on countless camping trips over the years—trips that included white water rafting, canoeing, zip lining, and exhausting full-day hikes up some of the tallest peaks in the Adirondacks and even to Scotland.

All of these outdoor experiences have been optional opportunities for Hackley students. Some experiences are offered during the school year and others through Hackley Summer Programs. There is a strong contingent of students who love the outdoors, and we often see the same kids signing up for trip after trip. Despite a long, grueling hike this past summer, Twyla D-H. ’28 said, “I am very proud that I faced all the physical challenges because it was really worth it!” Another seventh grader, Katie Y., said, “If I didn’t go on the trip last year, I would have never discovered that I love hiking. That made me want to go on the trip again this year for the third time. It’s so nice to have no phone service and to be outside with your friends.”

Though I often wonder why many other students choose not to participate in the outdoors, I also recognize it is probably for the same reason why I initially shied away—they have never been exposed to it. If there was ever a time to experience the beauty and wonder of the outdoors, that time is now. Our students have never lived in a world without the internet or cell phones. They have always had 24-hour access to news, online shopping, and, of course, social media. Want to know who a celebrity is dating? Just Google it! I was one of the last people to upgrade from the flip phone to the smartphone, and, I must admit, there are great advantages to modern technology. However, there are also drawbacks.

Over-reliance on and over-indulgence of screens and indoor spaces is not healthy. As humans, we tend to gravitate toward warm and cozy places with screens. I wonder though, if we seek comfort too often.

In the outdoors, comfort is hard to come by. There certainly are a lot of unknowns, as well as things we cannot control. You may wonder, what is it going to be like? Will it rain? Will it be cold? How exhausting will it be? Will I be uncomfortable? As I learned on that two-week Adirondack adventure in college, experiencing the answers to these questions will create memories that will last a lifetime. Venturing into the great outdoors can build your confidence, and it can make you physically and mentally stronger. I always felt that if I can survive a night in the woods, I can survive much of anything else life throws at me.

As someone who loves the outdoors, I am grateful that Hackley has fully supported its faculty in offering outdoor experiences for our students. As highlighted in the School’s strategic plan Redefining Excellence: Learning Beyond Boundaries, the School is committed to utilizing the Hackley Forest and surrounding natural ecosystems to their fullest educational capacities and to fostering environmental stewardship. In our modern world, having access to our beautiful forest, literally just steps away, is a game changer. We have multiple outdoor classrooms in the woods, an orchard, an organic deer-proof teaching garden, a field biology research area, a wetlands facility, and 6.5 miles of hiking, running, and snowshoeing trails. The teachers leading our students into the great outdoors come from all walks of life. We teach math, English, performing arts, science, physical education, and more.

So, what does the future hold for Hackley and outdoor education? My hope is that we can continue to build on our current momentum and offer fun and exciting outdoor opportunities for our K-12 students. Perhaps we build a few more camping platforms or even some lean-tos in the Hackley Forest. Maybe we add some low or high challenge elements. The Big Experience learning pathway certainly comes to mind, as does traveling to magnificent places throughout America and the world. Outdoor pursuits and environmental ethics seem like something our students would embrace. Implementing more experiences in our very own forest seems obvious.

On a larger scale, my sense is that our students could be interested in outdoor experiences far beyond the Hilltop. Perhaps seeing firsthand the beauty and isolation of the Arctic, while also studying climate change and its effects on wildlife and the inhabitants who live there. Perhaps some students would like to learn the history of America’s National Parks while visiting Yellowstone, Arches, or Glacier National Park. These are just a few of the countless ideas that a robust outdoor education program could bring to life as it continues to flourish at Hackley. The lifelong memories our students and faculty can make from outdoor experiences are as endless as the night’s sky—and hopefully this is just the beginning.

About the Author

Glenn Hasslinger has been a Physical Education and Health teacher at Hackley since 2007 and also coaches soccer, squash, and golf. For several years, he was the Global Education Coordinator in the Middle School. He is now following his passion for Outdoor Education at Hackley.

On The Outdoor Learning Importance Of The Pollinator Garden

The Pollinator Garden came to be when the fruit orchard took shape on the Hilltop, feet away from the new apiary. The Pollinator Club was also created, run by Hackley students— myself included. Our goal is to bring focus to the pollinators in our gardens because we believe that climate change is a social issue that can be overcome through learning how great nature can be and how we, as individuals, can help.

Before the Pollinator Club was formed, Ms. [Tessa] Johnson brought together Physical Education and Science classes to get as many hands as possible involved in the making of the garden. First, the amazing Buildings & Grounds crew cleared the grassy hill, removed wooden barricades, and added piles of mulch for students to begin forming the garden—we could not do this without them! Next, students spread cardboard to prevent weeds from growing underneath, which could get in the way of the important flowers needed for our pollinators. We then carted soil from one space to another as the garden grew. I found that pushing the wheelbarrow was a bit of an ordeal, but not for Ms. Johnson, who I once saw carting it stoically up and down the garden. Plants were then planted, trees watered, and, with thanks to Brendan DiStefano ’22, an arbor was built. Now, we revel in the beauty of flowery perfumes and fuzzy bees.

I watch as Ms. Coble and Ms. Carrier share the space with their art students and how the kindergarteners are filled with glee when they see and smell all the lovely flowers, and I am moved by how one small hill accomplishes so much. This community project makes it possible for all students on the Hilltop to experience the wonders of nature, and to create art from the beauty around us. The Pollinator Garden led to the founding of the Pollinator Club, and now, while we enjoy the colors of the flowers, we also research pollinators—bumblebees, bats, and flies—and work on our plan to educate the community about how to build apiaries or grow plants for the pollinators in their own gardens. We hope our small steps can lead to a better human environment.