At the Junior School, land-based learning is a core element of the curriculum from Jr. Kindergarten to Grade 7 with our resident outdoor enthusiast Jeff Stacey at the helm. Mr. Stacey joined Collingwood in 2008 as a homeroom teacher, and quickly spread his love for the outdoors to his students. Mr. Stacey looked at the forested land next to the Wentworth buildings and had the brilliant idea that this land could enhance the classroom-based learning going on at the Junior School, so one day he went out into the woods and started clearing a trail. 

Soon enough, there were two trails and a little amphitheater. Mr. Stacey posted a sign inviting students out into the forest to check out the new trails and it was an instant success. When COVID hit, capacity limits and a strong desire for the freshest North Shore air meant a number of kids needed to be outside at all times - this was when the forested lands became an even  bigger part of school life. Soon, fundraising and extra help allowed for a large covered outdoor classroom to be built. By 2024, there were two covered spaces, an uncovered outdoor classroom, a low ropes course, a sensory loop, and  a gnome house. Students in every grade level now enjoy curricular-linked activities in the woods, and Mr. Stacey doesn’t know of another elementary school with this kind of amenity. 

Land-based learning at Wentworth extends beyond the campus too. Students in Grades 4-6 travel to Camp Summit in Squamish for overnight camp every year and Grade 7s head to Strathcona Park for paddle boarding, canoeing/kayaking, hiking, high-ropes, and zip-lining. Local field trips also introduce our youngest students to snowshoeing, cave building, bird watching, hiking, and other adventures, and Grade 6/7s have the option to select an outdoor-focused ExL experience each February. By the time students leave the Junior School, their connection to the outdoors is solidified.