Oldham School Sixth Graders Discover an Outdoor Classroom During Rainy New Hampshire Wilderness Trip-October 9, 1975

Forty-three sixth-grade students from the Oldham School recently returned from an unforgettable week-long field trip to the mountains of New Hampshire.

Accompanied by teachers Ann Marie Flaherty and Michael Sansone, the children traveled to Nature’s Classroom in Potter Place, N.H., for an immersive environmental education experience. Each student contributed $44 to cover lodging, meals, and the extensive educational program, while the cost of the chartered bus was generously covered by the Oldham PTA.

Weather Cannot Dampen Spirits

When recounting their adventures back at school last week, the teachers and students spoke with unbridled enthusiasm about every facet of the trip—with just one notable exception: the weather.

“It rained all week,” Miss Flaherty said.

Despite the relentless drizzle, the damp conditions failed to deter the young explorers. Among the week’s biggest physical challenges was climbing the 2,900-foot summit of Mount Kearsarge. For student Maureen Gorman, the trek left a lasting impression after she sprained an ankle during the descent and had to be carried down the mountain.

Other students found joy in the rugged elements. For Eliot Brimage, conquering Mount Kearsarge in the cold mist was the ultimate thrill: “It was freezing,” he recalled with a broad smile. Meanwhile, Dickie Barrett counted drinking ice-cold mountain stream water as his favorite personal highlight.

Immersive Nature Study and Craftwork

The program is directed by John Santos, who employs a staff of five certified teachers. The curriculum emphasizes active student interaction with the natural world, giving children direct, hands-on experience in nature study and conservation.

During their woodland hikes, the children learned to:

• Identify native plants and natural woodland foods.
• Trace and study mountain streams.
• Observe forest ecology firsthand.

Mr. Sansone noted that the group stayed at one of two residential facilities utilized by Nature’s Classroom—a lodge that serves as a summer camp and ski lodge during other seasons. The children slept and ate communally inside the lodge, taking turns waiting on tables.

For many of the youngsters, it marked their very first time away from home. However, with a packed daily schedule running from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., there was precious little time for homesickness. Traditional camp activities replaced television entirely, highlighted by group storytelling, evening sing-alongs, and an energetic repertoire of songs that the children serenaded their bus driver with all the way back to Norwood.

In addition to outdoor ecology, students engaged in a variety of traditional craft and media projects. Nancy Charron enthusiastically listed making handmade quilts, candles, soap, and puppets among her favorite activities, alongside starring in a student-produced movie featuring a plot loosely adapted from “Swiss Family Robinson.”

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger