Summer Programs  |  Elementary School  |  Middle School  |  Upper School  |  Outdoor Courses 

Community Summer Outdoor Programs offer an ideal opportunity to challenge your limits, learn new skills and explore the beauty and variety of the Idaho wilderness. All courses are open to the public.

Registration Process

You may download a registration form by clicking the image to the right, or you may request a registration form by e-mailing mwade@communityschool.org.  An electronically fillable form will be sent to you immediately.  Fill out the registration form and return it via e-mail or mail it to:  Mike Wade, Community School Summer Program Director, Box 2118, Sun Valley, ID 83353.  If any course you have registered for involves off campus travel, an "Assumption of Risk" form and an "Emergency Release" form will be sent to you separately.

Backpacking in the White Clouds (Open to Community School students only.)
Learn to Kayak
Rock Climbing: Beyond the Top Rope
Wilderness First Aid
Wilderness First Responder
Mt. Baker Glacier Climbing Adventure
ACA Swiftwater Rescue Certification

Backpacking in the White Clouds  (Open to Community School students only.)
Travel through the high-mountain lake country of the White Clouds with two veteran Community School teachers and outdoor educators who know where the lunkers live. This trip has become a tradition for our summer program and a rite of passage for those who love to fish and camp in the backcountry. Students are encouraged to bring their fly rods; instruction in fly casting, selection and presentation is an integral part of the course. You don't want to miss the opportunity to spend time with some of our most avid outdoorsmen.
July 22-25
$525
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Learn to Kayak
Community School Summer Programs in partnership with White Otter Outdoor Adventures invite you to spend four days learning to whitewater kayak safely and competently on Idaho's Salmon River. American Canoe Association certified White Water Instructor and Swift Boat Technician, Elliot Jacobs, and the staff at White Otter Outfitters lead this exciting trip. We'll meet at 8am on Monday, July 29th at the Community School in Sun Valley and then drive north to White Otter Headquarters in Sunbeam, Idaho, on the Salmon River. We'll spend the next four days and three nights learning the skill and art of whitewater kayaking. The class will camp together at Sunbeam. We will return to the Community School by 6pm on Thursday, August 1st. Open to kids ages 12-18. No experience necessary.
July 29 - August 1
$550 (includes all boating equipment, food, transportation, instruction and supervision)
$500 (if you have your own boating equipment)
For additional information, please contact Rob Landis at the Community School (208.622.3960, ext. 121), or Doug Fenn at White Otter Adventures, (208) 788-5005, info@whiteotter.com
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Beyond Top Roping: Rock Climbing at the City of Rocks
Community School Summer Programs offers this unique opportunity to spend four days learning the skills to go "beyond top-roping" to multi-pitch climbing and lead climbing. We will meet at the Community School in Sun Valley at 7am on Monday, July 22nd and drive to City of Rocks National Reserve in southern Idaho for four days of rock climbing instruction and camping. We will return to Sun Valley by 7pm on Thursday, July 25th.  Open to kids ages 12-18.
July 22-25 
$550(includes all climbing gear, food, transportation, instruction and supervision)
For additional information, please contact Rob Landis at the Community School (208.622.3960, ext. 121)
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Wilderness First Aid (WFA)
The Community School, in partnership with the Wilderness Medical Institute is offering a two-day Wilderness First Aid Course. If you plan to spend time in the backcountry or leading outdoor trips, you need to be prepared. Fast paced and hands-on, this two -day course covers a wide range of wilderness medicine topics for people who travel and work in the outdoors. (If you plan on leading trips through the Community School Outdoor Program, this course prepares you to do so.)  Enrollment is limited to the first 30 paid registrations. 
Open to rising 10th graders or older
Instructors: Wilderness Medicine Institute
Dates /Times:  Saturday June 22-Sunday June 23
8am-5pm approx.  (16 hours total)
Tuition:  $220
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Wilderness First Responder (WFR)
The Community School, in partnership with the Wilderness Medical Institute is offering a two-week Wilderness First Responder Course. Essential for anyone who spends significant time in remote places or who has a professional career in the outdoors, this course will prepare you to make difficult medical decisions. Half our time is outside the classroom doing hands-on skills and realistic senarios, including full-scale, night mock rescues. You will complete this course with the tools and confidence to manage patients in the backcountry for multiple days.  CPR and FBAO certification is included and the course is pre-approved for 70 hours of EMT CEU's by CECBEMS. Enrollment is limited to the first 30 paid registrations. 
You must 16 years of age or older to take this course.
Instructors: Wilderness Medicine Institute
Dates:  Monday, July 8 through Wednesday, July 17, no class on Saturday, July 13
Times: daily, 8am-5pm approx. with two evening sessions (July 11 & 15, 6-10pm)
Tuition:  $695
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Mount Baker Glacier Climbing Adventure
Spend a week learning to climb in glaciated terrain on Mt. Baker in Washington.  At 10,781 feet, Mt. Baker is the most heavily glaciated mountain in the lower 48 states and is an ideal venue for aspiring mountaineers.  The course introduces and practices the basic skills needed to climb in this kind of terrain.  Conditions permitting, we will also attempt to summit Mt. Baker. The course begins and ends in Sun Valley and includes all transportation, food and gear.  Ages 14-18. Contact Rob Landis if you are interested: (208) 622-3960 x121.
Trip Leader:  Rob Landis
Sunday - Saturday, August 4 - August 10
$800 (food, transportation, group gear)

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SwiftWater Rescue, Level IV Certification
Offered in partnership with White Otter Outdoor Adventures, this two-day course will provide river users such as private boaters, guides and trip leaders with the skills and information that they will need when something goes bad on the river.  With a mix of classroom instruction, hands-on practice, and exciting rescue scenarios, our aim is to make this class useful, informative and fun!  Instruction will take place at the Community School and at various river locations around the area.  Much of the instruction occurs near White Otter Headquarters north of Stanley.  Camping is available at their location for $10 per night.  Participants who complete the class will receive American Canoe Association Swiftwater Rescue, Level 4 certification.  Participants must be 16 or older.  For more details, prerequisites and required equipment, click here.
Lead Instructor:  Elliot Jacobs, SWR Level IV, ACA Whitewater Instructor
Saturday/Sunday, July 6-7, 8am - 5pm, both days
$180
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