In this program students will leave the city behind and create space – to connect to the land, connect to each other, and develop their understanding of themselves. All this while participating in learning activities that support participants in earning the following high school credits:
In the CALM Peaks program, learning takes place outside and through action. Students are exposed to curriculum in real life through outdoor activities, personal skill building sessions, conversations with industry professionals and practical challenges. Activities include hiking, paddleboarding, rock climbing, ecological interpretive walks, working with Indigenous Elders, group discussion and journaling.
Students enrolling in this program must be comfortable with recreating outdoors and should be prepared to spend long periods of time outdoors in all weather conditions. Students will live on site at the Biogeoscience Institute in Kananaskis country for 6 days and 5 nights. The Biogeoscience Institute is equipped with bunk beds with linens, indoor heating, hot showers, communal bathrooms, and many of the comforts of home set within the majestic Rocky Mountains. This program is fully catered.
This program is being run in partnership with The Howl Experience, an experiential education organization located in the Bow Valley.
Connect Charter School is an inclusive 4-9 Public Charter School in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. We strive to create learning that utilizes inquiry, is scaffolded with technology, and that is experiential, place-based, and outdoor in its natures. As we branch off into high school programming, the spirit of inquiry and place based learning is still at the forefront of our approach and vision for creating exemplary citizens.
This program includes all programming, accommodation, food and transportation once on site. (Transportation to and from Barrier Lake Field Station is the responsibility of parents).
CALM stands for Career and Life Management and is a required course all students in Alberta need to complete in order to graduate from high school. The aim of high school CALM is to enable students to make well-informed, considered decisions and choices in all aspects of their lives and to develop behaviours and attitudes that contribute to the well-being and respect of self and others, now and in the future.
Our week long overnight CALM program at the Barrier Lake Field Station site in Kananaskis includes a number of other courses, including outdoor education focused courses that would result in students obtaining a total of 6 credits (Introduction to Wildlife, Nature and Wellness, Leadership Fundamentals, Nutrition and Wellness) should they complete all courses successfully.
Week # 1, July 13 – July 18, 2025
Week # 2, July 27 – August 1, 2025
Week #3, August 10 – August 15, 2025
Cost approximately $950
Small class size of 25
