News

For decades, Keswick School maintained a standing Boy Scout troop. Recently we struck out on our own and rebranded our group as the Wayfinders. This rebranding allowed us to tailor the experience to our students’ strengths and needs. Our students get to learn a variety of skills in outdoorsmanship, civic responsibility, independence, and service to others. 

Dr. Huff, our Licensed Family and Marriage Counselor, leads our Wayfinders throughout the year. Along with assistance from several staff, he guides the students as they spend time together and develop unique and valuable abilities. 

These abilities are put to the test on frequent Wayfinders camping trips. Last week, some of the Wayfinders took a two-night camping trip to First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Although some of the camping trips truly “rough it” with backcountry camping without modern amenities, during this trip, the group stayed at a campground at the state park, that had tent pads, running water, and bathhouses. 

During the trip, students had the opportunity to work on camp setup, fire building, fishing, and even crabbing. Although the results of crabbing were not what they envisioned, they’ll enjoy the memory of their sole one inch crab and spending time with one another at the beach. 

Wayfinder camping trips, like much of the experiential education at Keswick School, is planned out in a progressive manner that builds on past successes. At the beginning of the year, the Wayfinders use our on-campus camp site to practice foundational skills. As we progress through the school year, the camping trips become more challenging in ways that help students learn new skills while gaining practice in the ones they have already learned. 

A step along that path includes using campgrounds which provide basic needs allowing students to easily maintain hygiene and avoid the need to create a campsite. However, in the spring and summer months, Wayfinders often take hiking trips on the Appalachian Trail and canoe trips down the river where they accept the challenges of backcountry camping and all the skills that requires.