Discover how TSA Middle School’s outdoor program at Hulbert builds leadership, resilience, and community through ropes courses, team challenges, and camp traditions.
Middle School Outdoor Program at Hulbert
Building Confidence, Connection, and Community Outdoors
Since 2000, TSA Middle School has partnered with the Hulbert Outdoor Center in Fairlee, Vermont to offer an immersive, multi-day overnight experience that brings students outside the classroom and into nature-based, community-focused learning.
Held each spring, this three-and-a-half-day retreat is a cornerstone of our middle school experience—designed to strengthen friendships, cultivate leadership, and push students to grow both individually and together.
What Students Do
Through carefully designed team challenges, outdoor activities, and shared meals, students build trust, resilience, and problem-solving skills.
Activities include:
- Leadership and communication exercises
- Low- and high-ropes challenges
- Archery, arts and crafts, and classic camp games
- Campfire storytelling and s’mores under the stars
Each activity is designed to encourage students to step out of their comfort zones while learning how to support one another through physical, emotional, and social challenges.
- 7th graders focus on leadership and communication as they think ahead to their 8th grade year
- 8th graders reflect on their growth and their goals for high school.
Why It Matters
The Hulbert Outdoor Program fosters deep community-building and a sense of belonging that solidifies the bonds built over the school year. For many students, it’s their first overnight school trip—an opportunity to disconnect from technology, reconnect with peers, and gain confidence in who they are and who they’re becoming.
This experience is more than just a trip—it’s a foundational part of how TSA students learn to trust, collaborate, and lead.
