Challenging Our Bodies and Minds

With donor support, Old Trail introduced its renovated Challenge Course area in the fall. Situated in a mature wooded area near Howe Meadow in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the course consists of 10 obstacles designed to empower students physically and mentally. Faculty members were trained on both safe practices and ways to keep the activities stimulating and varied.

Since its opening, the course has been used by students of all ages to develop communication and leadership skills through a series of fun and unusual challenges— with each requiring children to work together as a team to accomplish goals. The hope is that, through these shared experiences, students will learn valuable information about themselves, as well as each other, while understanding the benefits and confronting the challenges of working with members of a team. To encourage students and school employees to spend more time outdoors and stay active, an allseason walking trail was also added to the perimeter of the course.

The new Challenge Course is not only an exciting and distinctive part of the Old Trail campus, but also serves as an additional resource for experiential learning and character development.