All St. Mary's students are invited to join the Outdoor Program, a club that seeks to provide students, faculty, and family members with monthly opportunities to explore, learn about, and appreciate the outdoor environment of Southern Oregon and the wider Pacific Northwest. The outdoor experiences themselves tend to vary considerably throughout the year. In the past, St. Mary's groups have climbed mountain peaks, kayaked and rafted rivers, explored lava caves, cross-country skied backcountry trails, enjoyed the slopes of Mt. Ashland on alpine skis and snowboards, backpacked deep into wilderness areas, and toured the surrounding roads and hills by bicycle. Visit the St. Mary's all-events calendar or drop by the school's front office to get the latest information about upcoming trips and events.

Although the trips are designed for the adventurous spirit, extra care is taken that proper equipment is used and that experienced supervision is provided at all times. Ensuring the safety of program participants is a top priority. Many adult leaders have current first aid and CPR certification, and several program advisors have specialized certification in Wilderness First Aid and Outdoor Emergency Care. Complete wilderness medical kits come along on every trip. If our versatile adult leaders do not have sufficient technical expertise to offer instruction in a particular activity, we find someone who does. Our Outdoor Program staff often works in partnership with professional outfitters, outdoor schools, local shops, and other outdoor-oriented organizations.

Some of the program's offerings are available only to upper-school students. For instance, students entering grades 9-12 (including those in the process of moving up from the 8th grade) are welcome to sign up for the big summer offerings, such as the 10-day bicycle tour of the San Juan Islands and the 10-day wilderness backpacking experience. However, some of our trips (such as the caving trip in November and the five ski/snowboard visits to Mt. Ashland) are available to the entire St. Mary's student body. During the school year, announcements are made at morning meeting to keep all students apprised of upcoming trips.

If these kinds of activities sound fun to you, the Outdoor Program would enjoy your participation! Venture forth, leave the books behind once a month, perhaps take on a new challenge, and experience some of the exciting outdoor opportunities that exist in this incredibly diverse region that surrounds us. You'll be glad you did!

"When you come to St. Mary's you may not realize it at first but you're really in a special place. St. Mary's is meca of people who love what they do and they transfer that to their students. Amazing how you can find this in a small town like Medford. I just graduated last year and I am now attending MIT and majoring in Bio Engineering." Zack Tomlinson, Student MIT, Class 2009