Is the classroom the only place in which to learn? We don’t think so. Field Courses at The White Mountain School demonstrate our commitment to learning outside the classroom. Students at White Mountain immerse themselves in a week-long, off-campus Field Course each semester. These unique programs allow for in-depth, academic exploration of a specific topic in an authentic setting. Each Field Course provides an incomparable opportunity for students to explore and develop interests and passions beyond the walls of the traditional classroom.

Each year White Mountain traditionally offers 24 different Field Courses—12 per semester—in a variety of local, regional, national, and international settings. Where do you want to go?

Regional and Local Field Courses

From Acceptance to Inclusion to Affirmation: A Look at the Past, Present, and Future of Students of Color in Independent Schools
New England

Geology and Glaciology and Their Effects on the Ecology of Acadia
Bar Harbor, Maine

Hydropower: Where Recreation, Sustainability, and Energy Demands Meet
Maine

Improvisational Music
Bowman Island, New Hampshire

Land Use and Backcountry Skiing in the Northeast
White Mountains, Eastern New Hampshire and Western Maine

Leadership and Equity in the Backcountry
White Mountains, Eastern New Hampshire and Western Maine

Leadership in the Natural World: Practical Applications of Leadership
White Mountains, Eastern New Hampshire and Western Maine

Mainely Art and Music: A Cultural Exploration Around Acadia National Park
Bar Harbor, Maine

Nature Photography
North Conway, New Hampshire

Permaculture: A Path to Extending Sustainability
Colebrook, New Hampshire

Politics: An Election Year
Burlington, Vermont

Poverty, Homelessness, and Hunger: Meeting People’s Basic Needs
Portland, Maine

Small-Scale Agriculture and Organic Farming
Bethlehem, New Hampshire

Snow Sports and Sports Psychology
Franconia, New Hampshire

The Map is Not the Territory: Geography of New England and Old-School Land Navigation
Burlington, Vermont

Thoreau’s Wabanaki Trail and Canoeing Expedition
Northern Maine

Winter Ecology
Northern New England

National Field Courses

Art History and Theatre
New York, New York

Buddhism and Mindfulness
Karma Triyana Dharmachakra Monastery, Woodstock, New York

Geology of the Sierra Nevada Mountains
California

Human Impact on the Colorado: How the Colorado River is Being Squeezed Dry
Prescott, Arizona, and the Grand Canyon

Natural History of the Desert Southwest: A Climbers Exploration of Red Rock Canyon
Las Vegas, Nevada

Soul Fire Farms: Food and Racial Justice
Petersburg, New York

Stone Barns: Culture, Environment, and Power through the Lens of Food
Pocantico Hills, New York

International Field Courses

Our international Field Courses are offered less regularly compared to our national and regional Field Courses and are often dependent on student interest and group sizes.

A Cultural Exchange and Language Immersion in France
Nevers and Paris, France

A Cultural Exchange and Language Immersion in Québec
Québec, Canada

Exploring Culture and Social Justice in a Developing Caribbean Nation
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Geography and Geology of Iceland
Reykjavík, Iceland

Meet our Director of Outdoor Education

Sam Murray

Director of Outdoor Education