The mission of the Thetford Outdoor Program is to ignite academic curiosity and foster environmental stewardship through outdoor exploration, recreation, and project-based, experiential learning.
The Thetford Outdoor Program (TOP) launched in 2014 with the generous support of the Woodbury Foundation. TOP builds on TA’s long commitment to experiential and outdoor learning, and uses TA’s vast natural resources and the diverse ecosystems of the Upper Valley as a living laboratory and outdoor classroom.
In addition to its academic component, the half-day Environmental Studies and Outdoor Education course, TOP offers students wide-ranging opportunities for outdoor exploration outside the classroom. The TOP Outing Club is open to all students in grades 7-12 and offers a variety of day and overnight hiking, camping, rock climbing, and canoeing trips through the year.
TOP Summer is a series of multi-day to week-long outdoor recreation and leadership opportunities for Thetford Academy students in grades 7-12. TOP Summer includes opportunities for canoeing on the Connecticut River or the wilds of Quebec, backpacking on the Appalachian Trail, or working with other TA students to develop and maintain Thetford Academy’s extensive trail systems.
TOP Summer Wilderness Leadership Program offers a series of multi-day to week-long outdoor recreation and leadership opportunities for Thetford Academy students in grades 7-12. TOP Summer includes opportunities for canoeing on the Connecticut River or the wilds of Quebec, backpacking on the Appalachian Trail, and working with other TA students to develop and maintain Thetford Academy’s extensive trail systems.
TA was excited to welcome Nando from Moon and Stars Arepas to campus last month to teach Spanish 1a, 1b, and Spanish 2 students how to make squash-filled empanadas using ingredients grown at TA. A collaboration between TA’s world language program and the school garden, the event was part of the......
15 November, 2021 No comment
Dear TA Families, We are looking forward to hosting the 30th annual Woods Trail Run tomorrow! Everyone is invited to this community event, 10am-4pm, on the TA campus. Come cheer on the 2000+ runners from all over New England who come to race on our beautiful TA cross-country course. For more......
01 October, 2021 No comment
If you haven’t been on campus lately, you might have missed some new growth happening on the Barrett Outdoor Campus. The Barrett land, adjacent to Thetford Academy and abutting the Thetford Hill State Forest, was acquired by TA in 2015. Since then, the land has become a lively hub for......
28 September, 2021 No comment
Dig into what students are truly thinking about in the Environmental Studies and Outdoor Education Course in the Fall semester of 2020. This website includes student’s favorite free writes of the semester....
01 February, 2021 No comment
A website with student reflections inspired by Rachel Carson’s Sense of Wonder. https://sites.google.com/thet.net/mysenseofwonder/home...
04 October, 2020 No comment
by Ethan Marshia It seems like it was just yesterday that we all ventured out on our first journey together. Entering the portal to a seemingly otherworldly dimension. I was just a mere fledgling. This class has given me everything I could have imagined and more. It has allowed me......
26 May, 2020 No comment
