Lake Tahoe School Students started off the school year with six Adventure Learning days during the first month of school. The trips incorporated team building, outdoor classrooms, community service, leadership training, academics, arts adventure — and a whole lot of Lake Tahoe! Two of our seventh grade Bobcats created the following blog about their memorable September at LTS.

By Jake Keil and Sophia Rauenhorst

BEACH DAYS

During the month of September and late August, we had two beach days. The first day we did team building, including ultimate frisbee, the water-bucket challenge, and a beach clean-up. Maddie Patrick says, “It was a great day to take our learning outside and work as a team. It let all of us get to know each other and work on our teamwork together” when reminiscing about the two beach days. Swimming students commented, “we are literally putting the Lake Tahoe into Lake Tahoe School!” The second day was a school day, only with beautiful Lake Tahoe within arm’s reach. Students went to their core academic classes and were able to swim during recess. As a student in a class of very vocal seventh graders, I can say it was definitely a favorite.

SAND HARBOR

On September 5/6, the middle school hiked the new Lake Tahoe East Shore Trail to Sand Harbor for a day of team building at the beach. Students started the day by cleaning up litter at the trailhead. We walked about three miles to the beach in the glorious sunlight. Although a wasp problem caused us to change some of our plans (and had some students and teachers eating their lunch while standing in the lake!), we had an amazing day filled with swimming, paddleboarding, scavenger hunts, and an acting activity. “It was beautiful — the waves were choppy, and the water was cold. I had a lot of fun,” says Zara MacDonald, a sixth-grader new to LTS.

PROJECT DISCOVERY

On September 20th, the middle school did an overnight at Project Discovery on Mt. Rose. They did a variety of team-building elements, on the ground and in the air. Some students got over their fears, and tried the higher and more difficult elements. Students belayed each other and cooked their own meals. “As a new student, it really helps to know that all my peers are all very supportive and kind. They’re literally supporting me,” says Luke Davis, a 7th grader new to the school. In all, everybody had an excellent (and thrilling) time at Project Discovery. We were also able to experience the musical might of an alpenhorn concert.

CHIMNEY BEACH

On Monday, September 30th, the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades were planning on doing a day of trial service on the Tahoe Rim Trail. However, due to some September snow, bad weather and for safety reasons, the trip was canceled. So instead, the middle school demonstrated its adaptability by going to an LTS favorite outdoor classroom at Chimney Beach. They started out by hiking about 2.5 miles down to the lake. Once they got to the beach, they did a variety of team building activities, including making a waterproof shelter out of sticks and pine needles. Along with this, students did games such as “wah”, a science scavenger hunt, and camouflage. Even though the trip didn’t quite go as planned, we still had a great time.

Thank you so much to our amazing teachers and staff who planned all these trips! We really love them and it makes our learning fun.