May Term & Global StudY

May Term is a unique, month-long course that integrates in-depth study of a complex topic with overnight travel across the country and the world.

Middle School

Watershed 6th graders start with a shorter trip in the American West to explore history and science in the field. Visits to sites like Mesa Verde and Tetons Science School allow students to experience increased freedom while connecting academic content to in-depth inquiry in the field.

In 7th grade, students start to venture further afield, such as a course on creativity that eventually takes students to San Francisco where they visit Maker Faire and explore the arts and innovation sectors of Silicon Valley.

In 8th grade, students participate in a "Passages" course that stretches their leadership skills and focuses on preparation for a rigorous college preparatory experience. This course typically has a service component, such as to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, to help students understand the reality of privilege and their place in a diverse world.

All travel costs are included in our base tuition and fees.

High School Global Studies

Every high school student at Watershed has the opportunity to encounter global cultures, challenges, and opportunities in a rich May Term global study program. The goal of this program is to help develop a new generation of global citizens ready to take on the world's greatest challenges. Program sites include a variety of domestic and international locations that offer a global perspective on current issues. Past program sites have included the Grand Canyon, Guatemala, Hawaii, Iceland, Peru, Vietnam, Ecuador, Kenya, and Tanzania. Program sites are added and removed with some frequency as new global challenges and opportunities emerge.

High school May Term courses vary from year to year. In 2023-2024, high school students selected from the following May Term courses:

Guatemala

The Politics of Asylum Seekers and Spanish Language Immersion

Iceland

Arctic Culture and Science Research

vietnam

Political, Social, & Cultural History of Vietnam

colorado plateau

Rock & Road - Field Geology

kino bay, mexico

Ecology, Geography, Marine Ecosystems, and History

We find that students are more motivated to master a foreign language when they have traveled abroad, and global travel is one way that we bring real-world learning to our language program. High school students should expect to travel to Latin America with intensive May Term courses that integrate with our Spanish language program as a graduation requirement.

All travel costs are included in our base tuition and fees.

OUTDOOR EDUCATION

orientation Trips

High school students begin the year with a nine-day backcountry trip with their advisory group. They learn valuable outdoor skills and take turns leading the group. They also have the opportunity to have a solo experience that helps develops character and offers time for reflection. 

Middle school students begin the year with a four-day camping trip, known as Orientation, that offers an opportunity to connect with advisors and the middle school as a whole. 

Students return feeling more confident, closer to their classmates and teachers, and with a common understanding of what it means to be a person of character. Orientation and Wilderness offer an opportunity to learn about grit, empathy, optimism, and collaboration.

outdoor opportunities Throughout the year

A Watershed education gets students out into the real-world for hands-on, experiential fieldwork as often as possible. As part of their studies, our 9th and 10th grades have travelled to Moab to study conflicting forces in the history of the American West and our middle schoolers have camped and rafted along the Colorado River to study water issues facing the Rocky Mountain West.

You don't have to be an outdoorsy kid to come to Watershed—but all Watershed students experience the sense of adventure and wonder that comes from experiencing the outdoors.

SAFETY & RISK MANAGEMENT

At Watershed School we encourage our students to lean into risk and take chances. With that said, we are fully committed to safety and ensuring that risk is managed appropriately. It is a top priority for us as a school and faculty. We are proud of our excellent safety record and continuously review and refine our safety policies to maintain that record. While it is important to recognize that there are real risks associated with participating in outdoor activities and field work, each student is expected to play a role in their own safety by adhering to the rules, policies, and procedures we’ve established.

Our risk management efforts include safety reviews of our programs, stringent hiring requirements and annual instructor evaluations, the development of comprehensive program plans and emergency response plans, and the requirement that Watershed staff be certified in Wilderness Medicine. Even with these measures, risk of injury cannot be 100% eliminated. To mitigate any potential issues, we place a strong focus on risk management both on-campus and off.