2008 Winterim Information
Upper School Winterim Catalog(PDF)
Middle School Winterim Catalog (PDF)
Why Experiential Learning?
You'll find that Winterim is just one instance of experiential
learning at Dawson. At every level, students are encouraged to
"put knowledge into motion." The final senior project, where
Upper School students develop an independent project to pull
together and test what they have learned in the classroom, is
another example. Constructing meaning from experience is essential
to intellectual development. At Dawson, you'll see that knowledge
is not "just the facts" but the process involved in discovering
meaning and applying it.
Winterim: A Dynamic Experiential Program
Dawson's
Winterim
program developed as a means to strengthen regular classroom
education by drawing students and teachers into activities and
places that will help bridge the gap between theory and real
life. Establishing this link is a critical component of a complete
and well rounded education. From class trips, to junior leadership,
community service and other experiences, Dawson students have been
and are being exposed to a variety of educational experiences in a
variety of settings. Winterim, a unique program that sets a Dawson
education apart from other schools, is an integral part of its curriculum. Faculty seek to design programs that support
the mission of the school by requiring students to stretch themselves
in mind, body, and character while exploring their education from
an active experiential perspective that goes beyond the conventional
walls of the classroom. Winterim is offered to students in grades
7 - 12 during the third week in March, while students in grades
K - 6 participate in their own versions of winterim. Lower School
students devote time during this week to experiential study of one
topic while at the Lower School while fifth and sixth grade students
participate in class trips. Winterim offerings fall into one of the
eight categories listed below:
- community service
- academic department program enhancements
- technology education
- arts education
- athletic education
- cultural or religious diversity awareness
- environmental awareness
- wilderness adventure
Winterim programs take a variety of forms.
Programs are offered utilizing the school's facilities on campus such as: technology education, graphic arts, photography, dance, theater, cultural awareness, science, history, writing, and athletics.
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Programs are offered in the immediate area, leaving from and returning to Dawson each day such as: equine education, discovering the front range, Habitat for Humanity, and back country skiing, as well as visiting museums, scientific institutions and companies, etc. Some of these programs spend a night or two out with the group and the rest of the time during regular Winterim hours in the surrounding area or on campus.
Off-campus trips are offered within Colorado and surrounding states for activities such as mountain biking, backpacking, canoeing, rafting, and athletics.
Two foreign language trips in both the Upper and Middle Schools for total immersion in the French and Spanish languages and cultures are offered every year. These trips include Winterim week and at least part of spring break. The Winterim trips overlap with the 10 week immersion programs, but are administered separately.
"Big Trips," in addition to the foreign language trips, are offered every year. These trips are generally designed to take students out of the country (but may remain in the country), and may include ecological, cultural, historical or wilderness adventure programs.
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These trips give members of the Dawson community time to retreat from the daily routine so as to allow the opportunity for a fresh perspective on our lives and on our community. There are opportunities to work with students in informal settings and in more formal discourse. Each trip has opportunities for processing the experience. Students write in journals and conduct councils where they discuss their insights and feelings about the trips.
Upper School trips take place during the first week of school, and the eighth grade trip happens in the first part of May. Planning and organizing is an integral part of the cooperative learning that occurs as a part of these trips.
Eighth Grade Trip - The eighth graders take a trip to Moab as a culmination of their middle school experience. This is an opportunity to reflect on their achievements and to prepare them for the upcoming challenges they will encounter in the Upper School .
Ninth Grade Trip – The ninth grade students take a four-day trip to Brainard Lake where they hike and work together in teams to accomplish camping duties. This trip is the first opportunity for students to begin to come together as a class and create awareness of alpine environment that is home to the headwaters of our watershed. Overview of US backpacking, hiking, ready to move into culture, confidence building.
10th Grade Trip – This is the next step in creating class unity as the students travel to Alamosa for four days. While there, they perform community service projects and gain a greater understanding of the community service aspect of the Dawson program.
Jr. Leadership Trip – This is an expeditionary seminar in positive communication and responsibility as students take a five-day trip down the Colorado River from western Colorado to eastern Utah . The goal is to prepare juniors for leadership and personal responsibility in a yearlong commitment to the campus community. They also develop an awareness and greater understanding of the desert river environment.
Senior Trip – As students begin their final year at Dawson , this trip establishes a theme of challenge and independence where trip leaders charge the seniors to step up to a more effective leadership role in the Dawson community. On a four-day trip to the Colorado mountains, students camp, hike in small groups and come together on the last night. Seniors discuss their roles in the school community as follow through as role models and leaders who will strive for greater independence throughout the year.
Senior Retreat – In the spring, the entire senior class and advisors go on an overnight excursion to begin the process of bringing closure to the students’ upper school career and anticipating and preparing for college.
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