NYC Outward Bound Schools

Save the Date: June 22 is our Day of Giving!

We’re rallying the Crew to support our return to summer programming — and students like Aldahir, a junior at The International High School at Prospect Heights.

This summer, he’ll join our new 6-week Basecamp to Career pilot, exploring outdoor education and youth development while earning college credit and pay. The program kicks off with a 3-day backpacking trip in Harriman State Park.

"November was my first time camping, and I loved it," Aldahir said. "What inspired me to do Basecamp to Career is wanting to learn more about how Outward Bound does this kind of programming for students like me."

💙: https://bit.ly/4umPRyx

In her recent New York Times letter to the editor, CEO Laurie Adams writes that the principles of belonging, agency and growth through challenge should be the standard in education, not the exception. We are proud to partner with over 100 schools throughout the five boroughs that serve as models for this type of impactful learning.

Read the letter 🗞️ https://nyti.ms/4uJK9I0

Opinion | The Benefits of Real Work in a College Setting (Gift Article) Readers respond to Michal Leibowitz’s Opinion guest essay about Deep Springs College, an experimental school in the California desert.

What a gorgeous day for a climb! 😎 It was great to see students from The International High School at Prospect Heights take on an end-of-year challenge on our building's climbing wall today.

We’ll be seeing more of these students this summer through our SYEP Basecamp to Career program, too. Once you've got the taste for outdoor adventure, it's impossible to let it go!

On Friday, we welcomed 100 students and 12 staff members from four partner schools — West End Secondary School, City-As-School, Channel View School for Research and KAPPA — for a day of creativity, collaboration and celebration!

Students came together as Crew, assembling a collective rug using pieces they had each created back at their schools. 🧵

“The community we strive to connect branches out into creative bursts," said Elijah, a student from KAPPA, reflecting on the experience. "This is life. Something this art personifies in a gorgeous way.”

Relive the joy and excitement of this year’s Gala by browsing and downloading selects from our photo album and watching speaker & featured videos: https://bit.ly/4vvX8xd

If continuous improvement feels rigid or stuffy to you, you're not alone. Senior Crew Coach Jeff Boxill came to the work a skeptic, but soon adopted a mindset shift:

"The truth is what we now call 'continuous improvement' has been alive in the DNA and lived experience of African and Indigenous diasporic communities long before it was ever named, studied, or Columbusized."

➡️ More from Jeff on improvement as culture, as the work of community — via High Tech High Graduate School of Education Unboxed:

The Cypher, The Stoop, The System Improvement isn’t just a method. It’s culture.

"To a student, a classroom is the most important piece of architecture in their life. It shapes how we feel, how we focus, and what we believe we deserve.” -Ingrid De Jesus, student speaker & 12th grader at the Community School for Social Justice

Last night's Gala proved that together, we are building a beautiful and sustainable future by investing in the brilliance and potential of NYC’s students. 🌟As a Crew, we raised $1.1M in support of our work!🌟

Our deepest gratitude to: (L to R) Gifford Miller, NYC Outward Bound Schools Board Chair; Student Speaker Ingrid De Jesus, 12th grader at CSSJ; Student Speaker Ida Hunter, 12th grader at A School Without Walls NYC; Laurie Adams, NYC Outward Bound Schools CEO; Student Speaker Ashton Moekaram, 12th grader at Metropolitan Expeditionary Learning School - MELS; and Honoree John Pasmore, Founder and CEO of Latimer.

Last night, we gathered to celebrate Richard Stopol’s newest book, "Inward & Outward: Reflections on Education, Democracy and the Human Spirit."

Bob Hughes, Former Director of K-12 Education at the Gates Foundation, led Richard and CEO Laurie Adams in a powerful conversation around joyful, adventurous learning, belonging, and the development of students as changemakers.

“One of the core purposes of education is to prepare young people to take their place in a pluralistic democracy where they’re active, responsible citizens," said Richard. "To be part of this national Crew that we're all contributing to, where we all have a stake in each other’s success.”

We’re deeply grateful to Geoff & Ginger Worden for generously hosting this special evening at the Metropolitan Club, and to everyone who joined us in honoring the spirit of Outward Bound.

🎉 Congratulations to Board Member, alum & friend Quemuel Arroyo, who was honored with the 2025 Greg Farrell Award on Saturday at our office in Long Island City.

"My adventurous spirit was nurtured in this very building and in the willingness to step toward possibility, even when the path is unclear," said Quemuel. "Greg's leadership reminds us that courage is a discipline, that service is a calling, and that leadership is something we practice in community, not in isolation."

➡️ Learn more about Quemuel's inspiring work & the award: https://bit.ly/42xZVt2

We’re proud to celebrate Brooklyn Collaborative's Candice Simon, our 2026 Gaynor McCown Excellence in Teaching Award winner! 🎉

This award honors an educator from our Compass Rose Schools who embodies the very best of our mission — teaching with purpose, building community, and creating classrooms where every young person feels seen, challenged and inspired.

“Candice remains enmeshed in real world engagement, helping our youngest students become social scientists and civic activists," said Principal Scill Chan.

Join us in congratulating Candice, and in celebrating the incredible impact educators like her have on our students every single day. 💙

Candice Simon Wins 2026 Gaynor McCown Excellence in Teaching Award - Outward Bound Outward Bound is committed to sparking lifelong growth through challenge—outside. We facilitate adventurous learning, rooted in the outdoors, to unlock confidence, curiosity, and the skills to thrive with purpose.