Experience is a profound educator. All Middle School students are encouraged  to participate in trip week, an exciting experiential learning opportunity when classroom walls are pushed back and students’ horizons broadened. Teachers and students travel together, by grade, to take part in a memorable adventure that offers one-of-a-kind learning and discovery.  

During the 2009–10 school year, the sixth grade went to the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, and Hoover Dam for a science-oriented trip. They enjoyed hands-on lessons in science and natural history along with spectacular scenery beyond description. The seventh and eighth grades traveled to Washington DC for up-close tours of our nation’s capital and on-site lessons about the founding fathers and the different branches of government. 

The 2010–11 Middle School trips were more varied, ranging from adventures close to home all the way to Costa Rica. Here's a brief overview: 

• The sixth grade filled the week with day trips focused on local history, including riverboat transportation, pioneer life, and the Westward Expansion. They ended the week with an overnight in Silver Dollar City.
   
• Seventh graders went to the Big Apple, immersing themselves in art and culture at sites like the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Lincoln and Rockefeller Centers, and the Poets’ House—the largest repository of poetry in the U.S.
   
• Leaving the U.S. behind, eighth graders traveled to Costa Rica, where they reveled in the biodiversity and bounty of the rainforest, learning about the plants, animals, and importance of this ecological treasure. 

For more detailed information about the 2010–11 Middle School trips as well as a peek at trips in other levels, see "Learning All Over the Map" on Principia Wire.