 | | About the Norval Outdoor School | |
A powerful learning environment awaits students in the great outdoors. UCC's Norval Outdoor School is situated on more than 160 hectares (400 acres) of rural land, about 50 kilometres (30 miles) northwest of Toronto.
At Norval, students learn to appreciate and care for our fragile planet, and many become leaders in efforts to protect it.
Norval features accommodation for 24 students plus staff, dining and lounge areas, and a classroom and storage facility. Operation of the facility is sensitive to the environment and consistent with the educational goals of the program. |
| Preparatory School Norval Program For Prep students, each season offers new opportunities for experiential learning at Norval, whether boys are making maple syrup, collecting honey from the hives, or gathering apples from the trees to make cider. From Senior Kindergarten through Remove, students take various day-long or overnight trips to Norval each year. In addition to imparting a sense of environmental stewardship, Norval helps students learn the core values of trust, sharing and co-operation. Gradually, students learn and acquire lifelong leadership abilities and team-building skills. |
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| Upper School Students For Year 1 and Year 2 students, Norval trips are often designed to supplement biology or geography lessons. Norval trips can help them do the following:
- develop better research, analytical, abstract thinking and predictive skills about the natural environment
- gain appreciation for the aesthetic and recreational value of the outdoors
- become motivated to meet environmental challenges and issues of the future
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Sample Programs for Upper School Students | Fall Teambuilding Day for Year 1 Studentsexamine problem-solving process and essential group roles
use initiative games and low ropes course activities to practise good group problem solving and leadership |
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A Spring Week at Norval for Year 1 StudentsInterdisciplinary academic program:
- geography forest management project
- GPS geo-caching exercise
- cross-country orienteering
- meadow crayfish study
- environmental photo-art project
- poetry
- river study
Other activities during the Spring Week at Norval:
- solo experience
- environmental service project
- high ropes course
- guest speakers
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Halton Bound Program for Year 2 Students (Spring) A dynamic and integrated program building on previous Norval experiences, while adding new challenges to a safe and adventurous trip. This expedition-based program is run jointly with Adventureworks Associates. Activities include:
- rock climbing at Rattlesnake Point
- hiking on the Bruce Trail
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| | For any questions about the Norval Outdoor School, please call the Norval office at
905-877-3732. |
Take Highway 401 west to Winston Churchill Boulevard. Follow Winston Churchill
Boulevard north and go through the Village of Norval. Continue straight
ahead. The entrance to the Norval property is on your left, 1.2 km
north of the village stoplight. The drive takes about 50 minutes from
UCC in light traffic. |
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