WCA + Montana
At Whitefish Christian Academy we embrace our place in beautiful Whitefish, Montana by integrating our many trails, lakes and mountains into our curriculum.
From the days of Charlotte Mason in old England to the recent days of scholars at Harvard, time outside has always been important to a good education.
Academy students therefore spend purposeful time in the outdoors. And at the Academy we’re especially blessed: Our outdoor places happen to be some of the most wonderful in the world.
-
Academy students in all grades have a Nature Studies component to their science education. At local jaunts like Swift Creek and Lion Mountain, students learn to identify and draw flowers like the lovely Indian Paintbrush and our state's pride, the Bitterroot. They do the same with our area's trees. Trips to Glacier National Park serve as capstone experiences.
-
Older students at Whitefish Christian Academy learn the practical and lifelong skills to safely explore Montana's wildest places. They learn to tie knots, set up camp, use a compass and make a fire. Then they practice those skills in the real world.
-
Time in the outdoors is contemplative, too. On class hikes to places like Avalanche Lake Academy students read and recite poems like The Eagle by Alfred Lord Tennyson or I wandered lonely as a cloud by William Wordsworth. Students then recite those same poems in quarterly Poetry Slams, which are always a memorable highlight to the year.
-
Students in grades 6-8 learn horsemanship with our friends at Lost Creek Ranch. More on that unique-to-WCA program may be found here.
-
Our Academy has partnered with Hooked on Montana to offer a yearlong fishing course to our 4th grade students. Students learn the ins and outs of fishing in The Treasure State, and learn to love to fish, too. You may read more about that program here.