Health and Safety
Physical and emotional safety is our highest priority. All of our teachers have advanced training and certification in First Aid and CPR. They receive exceptional training in risk management to reduce the potential of accidents and carry a complete medical kit with them during all residential programs and trips. With a health care coordinator in residence at Chewonki, and detailed medical forms for each participant, most medical needs are easily handled. For on-site programs, a full-service hospital is only a short drive away in the unlikely event that it is needed.
We stress the concept of “challenge by choice," the belief that an activity is not beneficial to a student unless he or she is completely willing to participate. We also stress inclusiveness and supportiveness in the group, creating an atmosphere in which students feel safe to test their own limits and take risks. Careful facilitation of each activity and thorough discussion ensure that while they are a part of Chewonki, students live in a supportive community that encourages their growth.
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Program Preparation
Chewonki is committed to supporting each participating school by customizing each program to fit the school's schedule and supplement its unique curriculum. We visit each school beforehand to offer an informational slide presentation to the teachers, students, and parents. We also send out a complete Teacher Resource Packet to help classroom teachers prepare for their visit to Chewonki.
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Evaluation
For programs longer than two days, each student receives a certificate of participation from his or her Chewonki teacher. This certificate focuses on the student’s achievements during the program, citing specific examples of successes. Hearing from their Chewonki teachers helps personalize the experience for the students. These certificates are also an effective basis for follow-up discussion back at school.
Leadership
Our professional live and work alongside their students for the entire program. They are known for ushering in each new group with enthusiasm and dedication, and they take pride in the growth their students undergo throughout the week. Each instructor has extensive training and experience in natural history education, group facilitation, and outdoor leadership. With a low student-teacher ratio, every group receives the most careful, individualized attention possible. Group size is kept to 10 to 12 students with 2 adults, the Chewonki instructor and the teacher/chaperone from the visiting school.
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Risk Management
At Chewonki we take great pride in our excellent safety record. All of our programs operate under rigid safety guidelines and procedures in order to minimize the chance of injury. Participants and their parents should be aware, however, that risk is an inherent part of all experiential outdoor programs.
Maine's Common Core of Learning
This document set the stage for the Maine Learning Results (educational standards for all ages) and identified four interdisciplinary areas of vital importance to students: Personal and Global Stewardship, Communication, Reasoning and Problem Solving, and the Human Record. The Chewonki curriculum has always addressed these four topics, and we are pleased that our approach to education continues to prove timelessly relevant. More specifically, we have correlated our lessons with the Maine Learning Results in order to demonstrate the contemporary pertinence of our programming and to aid teachers in making connections to the Chewonki experience. These correlations are included in the comprehensive Teacher Resource Packet that every participating school receives.
Chewonki and the Environment
We believe that as an educational institution we can not also be an advocate for a particular agenda or perspective. While the Foundation is deeply committed to conserving resources and consuming wisely, we believe that students must come to individual decisions regarding environmental issues. Our instructors strive to teach and facilitate in the most impartial manner possible, while still expecting their students to reflect critically on their own role in today's society.
