15 Dec Thetford Outdoor Program Gets Winterized
Just as this week’s extreme cold settled in, the Thetford Outdoor Program completed the construction of their new yurt. The 20′ diameter structure will serve as the Environmental Studies and Outdoor Education class’s home base for the winter months, and allow the class to continue their work studying–up close–the biology, ecology, and history of their local landscape.
Today, though, the TOP Environmental Studies students took some time to simply celebrate their accomplishment– it’s been no easy task raising the new building in just 5 days. Students have been working hard in some difficult temperatures, in snow and wind, to ensure that their new space would be ready for today’s Open House celebration.
From noon to 3:00 p.m.,TOP students proudly welcomed their guests–students, faculty, staff, and community members who had hiked up the hill to see the new yurt. They shared hot chocolate and snacks and had a roaring campfire to warm cold hands and feet. Guests were treated to a poetry reading by Melissa Thaxton’s 9th grade English class, who read both classic and contemporary seasonal poems, with some students sharing original work.
This new building in the forest is sure to get a lot of use in our school community, and we hope to be able to open it to the wider Thetford community in the future as well. Stay tuned for more TOP events as the Environmental Studies students work on their capstone projects and share their research with the community.
Read more about TOP’s yurt project here: