By Ray Grogan, is Assistant Superintendent at Scarborough Public Schools.
Experiential learning lies at the heart of what we do at Scarborough Schools. Our students thrive when learning moves beyond the abstract and into the real world through hands-on, immersive experiences. These opportunities enhance academic achievement, deepen connections to our local community, foster appreciation for nature, and inspire a lifelong commitment to active, engaged citizenship.
Elementary Schools (K–2 & 3-5): Connecting Nature and Academics
Scarborough’s elementary students participate in outdoor learning across all subject areas. This spring, students explored plant and vegetable growth in our school garden beds and visited local gardens and nurseries to extend their learning. Field trips to Broadway Gardens, the Maine Veterans’ Home, Fort Williams, the local hardware, Scarborough Land Trust’s Pleasant Hill Preserve, and the Maine Wildlife Park brought classroom lessons to life. Earth Day brought visits from the Scarborough Land Trust and lessons from the Maine Department of Agriculture, Chewonki, and Tinkerbus in the Classroom. Next year, students will participate in a “Literary Buffet,” where they will enjoy outdoor reading time paired with herb tastings from our gardens.
Middle School: Interdisciplinary & Outdoor-Focused
Middle school students in Scarborough benefit from participation in the Maine Outdoor Learning Initiative (MOLI) grant. This year, the grant supported a variety of outdoor learning experiences, including a partnership with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute to study Maine crab populations. Sixth-grade students acted as field researchers, collecting data that contributed to real-world scientific work.
Our seventh-grade Integrated Learning Team began the year with a Community and Forest Exploration Unit, during which students collaborated with the Scarborough Land Trust to study trail design for maximum accessibility. In the Science of Snow and Extreme Weather unit, students learned about snowmaking at Pleasant Mountain. Channel 8 News Meteorologist Ted McInerney was a guest speaker discussing changing snowpack conditions and the effects of shifting weather patterns on Maine’s winter landscape. This spring, students proposed a Maple Sugaring and Syrup Production project. They discovered numerous maple trees on campus and learned about the sugaring process. The unit included tree tapping, studying the syrup-making process, and creating a student-designed syrup brand as part of an advertising unit.
Eighth-grade students recently engaged in geology fieldwork at Fort Williams in Cape Elizabeth. They studied geological change over time by examining seafloor spreading evidence, identifying igneous and metamorphic rocks, and analyzing nearly 500 million years of Earth’s history recorded at the site.
High School: Career Readiness & Real-World Skill
High school students can access a variety of hands-on learning opportunities, including Career and Technical Education at Westbrook Regional Vocational School and Portland Arts and Technology High School (PATHS). This year, a senior qualified for the National Leadership and Skills Conference for her work in Collision Repair Technology. Three others were inducted into the PATHS National Honor Society for achievements in Auto Collision, HVAC, and Plumbing.
Scarborough High School also offers experiential opportunities through the Career Pathways Program, which allows students to earn academic credit for internships and other extended learning experiences. Through local partnerships, students have explored careers in journalism, law, education, and more.
At Scarborough Schools, we are proud to connect students to hands-on experiences that take them beyond the traditional classroom and into the world around them.
