Middle School students build connections to community and curriculum during fall trip

An important component of Montessori’s vision for adolescent education is the concept of residential living. In some schools, this takes the form of a boarding program. At Hudson Montessori School, the Middle School trips serve as that important experience in living together.  

The middle school trips focus on being “travelers, not tourists.” Students research aspects of the trip in advance and engage in activities during the trip which are meant to inform and expand their understanding of place, rather than just sightseeing. 

The fall 2026 West Virginia trip included visits to the abandoned boomtown of Thurman, as well as a visit underground to an old coal mine in Beckley. These experiences tie directly to their studies on The Industrial Revolution, The Progressive Era, and immigration. Whitewater rafting and hikes connect to their studies of watersheds and geology. All of this is embedded in the “Study of Place.” That is, to truly understand a place, you have to understand all the different variables that lead to its current state (geography, human history, economic, political, cultural, etc.).  

The West Virginia trip is also a community building trip. While there are certain traditions and threads that form a common bond amongst all Hudson Montessori Middle School classes, every year is also its own unique community. The fall trip is a crucial time for the community to come together, reflect, and put into action the question of “Who do we want to be as a community?” 

The trip is also filled with fun, adventure, and personal challenges. Cliffside hikes, a high ropes course, ziplining, and whitewater rafting are all fun experiences in their own right and give each student the chance to challenge themselves mentally and physically, to be nervous but persevere, and to experience the valorization that can only occur through personal experience.