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Class Trips

At St. Paul, we are rightfully proud of the creative and engaging learning that happens every day on our campus and in our classrooms. But the world God has created for us to explore and care for extends far beyond our little corner of Green Hills.

For this reason, we are thoughtful and deliberate in our planning of off-campus learning opportunities. Beyond the many field trips we enjoy to dramatic productions, museums, pumpkin patches and apple orchards, our older students are also given the opportunity to extend their learning and grow in their independence through year-end, grade level trips.

Beginning in the third grade with a day trip to Mammoth Cave and concluding in the sixth grade with a five-day, four night exploration of Washington, DC, our Capstone Trip Series throws open wide the door to God’s world and invites our students to learn about it in the most memorable way possible – through direct, hands-on experience.

To learn more about the trips in the Capstone Trip Series, please select from the grades below.

100 miles northeast of Nashville is the largest cave complex on the face of the earth – Mammoth Cave.  It’s 367 miles of explored cave make it larger than the next two largest cave systems combined.  It’s importance to the planet as the largest known subterranean habitat makes it a worthy destination to explore.  Its close proximity to our campus makes it an excellent choice for our third graders to visit.

During the day-long trip to Mammoth Cave, our students visit the Bottomless Pit, squeeze through Fat Man's Misery, climb 138 stairs up Mammoth Dome to exit through the Historic Entrance and so much more.

The third grade trip to Mammoth Cave is an excellent introduction to our upper school Capstone Trip Series.

To learn more about Mammoth Cave, please visit their website at http://www.nps.gov/maca

The capstone trip to the fourth grade year takes our students to Nature’s Classroom in Mentone, AL.  High atop Lookout Mountain, Nature’s Classroom is an environmental education program, which shares a campus with Camp Riverview for Girls.

During the three-day, two-night trip, students explore God’s creation through participation in hands-on classes and field groups.  All aspects of the experiences, from evening activities to meals, music, and games - have been specifically developed to encourage learning.  Students learn about motivation, creativity, goal setting, cooperation, social interaction, self-confidence, and environmental awareness.

To learn more about Nature’s Classroom, please visit their website at http://www.naturesclassroom.com

Our fifth grade capstone trip takes us 514 miles southeast from campus to the Burton 4-H Environmental Education Center on Tybee Island, Georgia.  Operated in conjunction with the University of Georgia, the Burton Center educates over 6,000 students a year on its six-acre campus and the surrounding island.

During the four-day, three night trip; students participate in hands-on activities that bring God’s magnificent creation to life in a way that is difficult, if not impossible, to achieve in a traditional classroom.  Students study marine and aquatic life, salt marsh habitat, beach ecology and much more.  Our core science curriculum is extended and enhanced as they:

  • Develop an awareness, knowledge and appreciation for the natural environment. 
  • Cultivate curiosity, critical reasoning and evaluation skills.
  • Use scientific processes, such as observing, measuring, classifying, etc.

To learn more about the Burton 4-H Center, please visit their website at http://www.burton4h.org

To read two student written essays about the Tybee Island field trip click HERE.

 


The sixth grade trip to Washington, DC serves not only as a capstone to the sixth grade year but also to the St. Paul experience.  Over the course of the five-day, four night trip; our sixth graders are guided through a memorable exploration of our nation’s capital.  There is an abundance to see and learn in Washington so the various sites and locations we visit have been carefully and intentionally selected to maximize the investment of our time there.

With the help of seasoned faculty and staff and an expert DC-based guide, students visit many of the most important memorials, monuments and museums the area has to offer.  Home base for our trip is the National 4-H Youth Conference Center located one mile outside DC in Chevy Chase, MD.  On the campus of a former women’s college, the NYCC is a unique facility designed for and by youth.  It is located in a safe and quiet residential area and features dormitory-style housing which allows our adult chaperones to easily protect and enjoy the students during our stay.

To learn more about the National 4-H Youth Conference Center, visit their website at http://www.4hcenter.org