Outdoor learning takes many forms, but, as our faculty will tell you, it helps to have an identifiable teaching space in which to work. The creation of Hackley's Outdoor Classrooms adjacent to the Deer Exclusion Zone and "Spring Peeper Pond" are such a place. Originally a joint initiative by the English and Science departments, the Outdoor Classrooms now provide a picturesque setting for poetry readings, science discussions, and more in the middle of the forest.
As a year round learning space the Outdoor Classrooms provide students the chance to see the red and yellow hues of autumnal sugar maples, the ice covered logs and snow in the winter, as well as the blooming flowers and plants in the spring. Students and faculty are rediscovering the natural rhythms of the seasons as they watch them through a variety of academic lenses.