Connecting as a Community in Nature | September Intersession 

Our students have now been at The Grove for three weeks, fully immersed in orientation programming designed to help them feel at home at Lakefield with activities focussed on helping them feel rooted in their houses, their classes and our community. 

We are lucky at LCS to have such beautiful natural surroundings. We are always focussed on creating multiple opportunities each day to get outside—during class, co-curricular time or extended Outdoor Education activities. Much of our programming is designed to support our Outdoors Every Day philosophy and our Orientation programming is no exception. 

Students in all Grades have had opportunities to spend time in nature, on our lake, in our woods and on our fields. Last week, they enjoyed Grade-specific fall intersession activities providing more immersive opportunities to spend time in nature. 

LCS has one of the largest waterfront campuses among Canadian boarding schools, providing our students with unique access to an incredible natural environment. By embracing the challenges and learning opportunities that interacting with the natural world offers, our students benefit mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. 

Research tells us that spending time in nature is good for our bodies and our brains. Spending time outdoors not only helps to restore our sense of balance; it can also boost our mental energy and improve our short-term memory. 

Spending time in community and in nature, on the water, in boats, and in other activities provides our students with an opportunity to connect with nature and to be more present with each other. It is a great way to build bonds, a sense of trust and belonging, too. Teamwork and communication skills are integral to moving a canoe from one shore to another and it’s nearly impossible to text and paddle at the same time! 

All of our students spent time outdoors last week as part of the fall intersession. Our Grade 9s explored at Camp Kawartha as they learned about traditional outdoor practices, like building fires with birch wood; our Grade 10s scaled new heights at TreeTop Trekking in the Ganaraska forest; and our Grade 11s swam, hiked, and played outdoor games at Camp Kandalore. Our Grade 12s all experienced the time-honoured Lakefield tradition of paddling on a 4-day canoe trip in Algonquin Provincial Park. 

As we settled into classes this week, our hope is that our students have continued to feel the benefits of orientation week and time spent outside, a stronger sense of community and belonging in their classes and house groups, and feel prepared and energized to take on the school year.

See more photos from Intersession week in our Intersession Facebook album.