October 30, 2023 – Devonshire Elementary School takes learning to the next level with Project Adventure. 

The school’s Physical Educator, Kathy Scott, exercises students' critical thinking and creative skills through adventure-based learning and curriculum conducted at the Spruce Run Environmental Education Center. 

“It’s a way to let the kids learn through doing,” Scott said. “They bond with each other, which also helps our school as a whole be able to bond.”

Students complete team-building activities with adapted storylines, wood blocks, pipes, numbers, zip lines, and sensory tools; activities are safe and contribute to a relevant, rewarding, and rigorous educational experience. 

“I’m always impressed every time I see a group of Devonshire Elementary students,” said PreK-12 Spruce Run Coordinator Heather Allen. “They work together as a team to solve problems, and they are supportive and encouraging of each other.”

Allen believes Project Adventure fits into the model of Spruce Run as a whole. The 50-acre wooded area provides students real-world experiences and expanded worldly perspectives while immersed in nature.

Devonshire staff are trained to implement adventure-based learning and curriculum in the classroom. “It’s not just physical education,” said Scott.

Project Adventure provides students with valuable skills they will use for the rest of their lives. “This curriculum gives these students advantages when they get into the workplace,” Scott continued. “They’ll know how to work with other people. They’ll be leaders.”

Devonshire’s unique program continues during winter in their high-ropes course gymnasium. Unfortunately, this portion of the curriculum has been on hold since the start of the pandemic. Scott reopened this portion of the curriculum this 23-24 school year.