Reimagine Your Classroom

Girl zip lining in the mountains at Sun Valley Community School

At Sun Valley Community School, we believe learning happens everywhere.

Across divisions, our students dig deep and, sometimes, travel far to immerse themselves in learning experiences that leave a lasting impact. The following are just a few of the "classrooms" Sun Valley Community School students explore.

Service Learning Opportunities in Salt Lake City

Ninth graders engage in service learning projects in Salt Lake City, during a week-long spring trip each year that offers invaluable insight into food insecurity, homelessness, and refugee concerns.

Learn More about service learning at Community School

Climate Change in Glacier National Park

Eighth grade students spend a week in Glacier National Park each fall studying climate science with leading experts in the field, a component of their fall term study of food production and sustainability.

Learn More About the Middle School Outdoor Program

Junior Solo in Canyonlands National Park

As juniors, Community School students immerse themselves in the work of Edward Abbey and Thoreau in the classroom and then venture to Canyonlands National Park in Southern Utah for a week-long backpacking trip. The trip includes a 48-hour solo to experience solitude first hand. The solo is a formative trip for many.

Learn More About Upper School

Sustainability in the Kemmerer Family Greenhouse

The Kemmerer Family Greenhouse, located on our Trail Creek Campus is a learning space used across divisions. From understanding the fundamentals of plant science to developing sustainable food production strategies, students are engaged in hands-on learning here.

Learn More About Academics

Science on Trail Creek

Trail Creek, which runs through Community School's academic campus, serves as an ideal outdoor science laboratory. Students across divisions study aquatic insects, water quality, and a range of other earth science and biology topics right in their backyard. Fly fishing—curricular and extracurricular—is also a common site on the creek. In the 2016-17 year, fourth graders built tree houses along the bank.

Learn More About Academics

Humanities on the Snake River

Seventh grade students travel to America's deepest river canyon, Hell's Canyon on the Snake River, where they embark on a backpacking trip and meet with local historians to gather background for a collaborative novel they write based on a historical event.

LEARN MORE ABOUT MIDDLE SCHOOL

Oregon Shakespeare Festival

Tenth graders travel to Ashland, Oregon each spring to immerse themselves in Shakespearean theatre.

Learn More About Upper School Academics

Model U.N. in Washington D.C.

Members of our Model U.N. club travel to Washington D.C., where they participate in the national conference and explore history and government in our Nation's capital.

Learn More About Clubs and Organizations

Winter Camping Skills in the Sawtooth Mountains

In ninth grade, students learn winter camping skills—including how to build a safe snow shelter—and then spend two nights in the field.

Learn More About Upper School

Marine Biology and Sailing in Puget Sound

Fifth graders travel to Seattle and Puget Sound in the spring to study marine biology and learn about all things nautical.

Learn More About Elementary School

Already, Sun Valley Community School has inspired and nurtured the pursuit of multiple interests—from music, photography and acting to writing, debate, forensics and the outdoors.

 

Leigh Barer, Current Parent

 

Academically challenging and collaborative, Sun Valley Community School offers students the ability to work outside traditional experiences. Specifically, the Outdoor Program drew us to the school. It has been so rewarding for Carter, and he has learned so much about himself. He has found the reward in trying things that are challenging both academically and in the Outdoor Program.

 

Stephanie Sammis, Current Parent