Special Programs

SPECIAL PROGRAMS

Since its inception, Verde Valley School's guiding principles have shaped its residential life. The school has several special programs that are long-standing traditions: field trips, project period, and independent study.

These programs complement our rigorous academic offerings and give our students a chance to learn about the value of service to others, physical labor, world citizenship, and environmental stewardship.
 
Field trips are two-week trips that occur in the fall. Small groups of students, accompanied by faculty members, travel to communities very different from  anything they've experienced, where they can learn to appreciate other cultures. There is often a community service or environmental stewardship component to each trip as well.

Independent Field Trips are reserved for seniors, and allows seniors a chance to design and plan a trip that gives them an opportunity to take charge of their own learning.  Independent Field Trips may be designed to provide seniors with experience in a field in which they have a vocational interest.

In the spring, during Project Period, all students and faculty set aside academic and athletic commitments to focus on small projects that range from construction to training horses. Many projects center on the arts or on a building project that allows students to make a long-lasting contribution to the community.  Projects are designed to either increase the span of the curriculum by offering something not included or to offer something in more depth. Each project is directed by a teacher and students are involved in three, usually very different, projects throughout the week.