Nayan Shankaran ‘24
Outward Bound trips are now scheduled to occur in May 2022 for rising sophomores and May 2023 for rising freshmen, according to Michael Letts, the Head of Upper School.
EA intends to run the same program as in previous years. Letts feels that if students traveled to Outward Bound in August, they would have a different experience than previous grades due to COVID-19 restrictions, such as “not having EA staff on-site” and “not being able to climb.” Letts believes, “By pushing [the trip] to next May and May of 2023, we don’t have to worry about restrictions.”
Photo courtesy of Pepper Claytor
The risk of positive COVID-19 cases also contributed to EA’s decision to postpone Outward Bound. “Being able to isolate and provide proper medical attention becomes much more difficult [at Outward Bound],” explains Letts. EA has not decided whether students should be required to receive vaccinations prior to these trips, but Letts agrees that doing so would “certainly make things a lot easier.”
“At this time, we anticipate all activities will be delivered on Spring 2022 courses,” states North Carolina Outward Bound School’s (NCOBS) Director of Student Services Erin Broome. “However, there are many unknowns due to COVID-19,” she continues, “and due to that, course activities may need to be adjusted for any number of unforeseen situations.”
Outward Bound is “not requiring proof of vaccination,” but Broome, in conjunction with the NCOBS Safety Department, explains that they “encourage everyone who has the option to be vaccinated to do so, as this will contribute to community-wide immunity that will reduce the need for both behavioral prevention techniques (like wearing masks) and bureaucratic interventions (like checking individual’s vaccination status).”
Austin Bouvel ‘24 understands EA’s decision to postpone his class’ Outward Bound trip to May 2022, recognizing that the trip will be safer by that time. He adds that he would like to be vaccinated prior to Outward Bound, but he does not anticipate that vaccinations will be mandatory for students because “not everyone will be over 16.”
Despite potentially participating restriction-free in Outward Bound during May 2023, Alec Staley ‘25 dislikes the timing because “it defeats the purpose of the trip that is getting to know the new kids.” Instead of going through Outward Bound at the end of his sophomore year, Staley would rather his grade “do an activity in the summer of freshman year that would be COVID-safe and provide an opportunity for kids to meet.”
Bouvel agrees with Staley’s statement. He likewise feels that “doing Outward Bound in the summer before freshman year would have been better because it would have given people a chance to meet their classmates.”
Ishani Khanna ‘25 has a different sentiment. She believes that modifying the logistics of Outward Bound is inevitable during a pandemic. In contrast to Staley, Khanna resonates with EA’s decision to move their trip from August 2021 to May 2023.“If we have to be socially-distanced, wear masks, and be worried about safety the whole time, it could ruin the bonding experience,” she comments.
Dylan Unruh ‘24 shares that his transition to EA has been “awesome” even without Outward Bound. He mentions that he was able to meet some of his new peers through classes and sports. Although he thinks that participating in Outward Bound before freshman year would have been enjoyable, Unruh is “not sure if it would have made the transition to EA easier.”
One of Unruh’s peers, Noah Ganzhorn ‘24 does not think that Outward Bound is necessary during a pandemic. Even so, he trusts that regardless of COVID-19 restrictions, “the benefit of the trip would be to collaborate with one another and get to know peers better.”
“I’m not sure if there is a more important Upper School program than Outward Bound,” says Letts. For six years, Letts has completed the courses alongside numerous freshman classes. He has observed that every student faces and has to overcome their own form of adversity on the trip, whether it is climbing, hiking, or sleeping outdoors.
Letts also adds, “Students get to see each other vulnerable, which develops empathy and respect.” At the end of the trip, “every kid realizes that they are stronger than they think they are.” Letts continues, “Every kid comes home with a smile on their face, knowing that they’ve accomplished something really hard. For those reasons, I think that it’s absolutely critical that everyone completes Outward Bound.”