We begin each school year with a three-day experience at McCormick's Creek State Park. Students from every age group in the school come together for this experience, and there are various opportunities for high school students to get to know students in other levels of the school and to get to know one another. During these three days, students create their schedules for the fall semester and are introduced to the process of family meeting. During the fall, a shorter trip is often taken. Students and staff research possibilities of places to go, present information in family meeting, and a destination is voted upon.
Students raise money and do much of the itinerary, food planning, and budgeting, etc.
Traveling, living, and coping with a large group of people instills a great sense of cohesiveness to the program and participants. Past trips have included flood relief work in West Virginia, building a horse corral for the Rangers in the Smoky Mountains, and visiting such cities as Washington, D.C., Boston, and Chicago. Teachers also write evaluative comments on these, and they are sent home to parents. Students often take tests and quizzes and write papers in their classes, and often, these are graded using percentages. These requirements vary from class to class.