By Leader Staff

Swan School on Kuhn Street in Port Townsend recently celebrated 40 years of service as a community-based educational non-profit. Two special open house events, coming up on Feb. 14 and March 13, invite new families to get to know this experiential education program first hand.

With a mission to nurture compassionate, creative, and connected multi-age students on the Olympic Peninsula, Swan School is focused on engagement, inquiry, and hands-on learning. Their open house offers prospective families an opportunity to tour the Swan campus, and talk with teachers, staff, and other families about educational approaches that support holistic wellbeing.

Each week at the school, class groups conduct field inquiries in the woods, at the beach, or at other outdoor locations. Outdoor spaces on the school’s campus — including a chess board patio and covered sport court — are utilized by students and teachers, rain or shine.

The school’s 40th Anniversary Campaign was launched to make further lasting improvements to their open-air campus environment.

Outdoor education is a major pillar of Swan’s project-based curriculum, led by their focus on research that shows the positive effects of outdoor programs on a student's overall well being. Markers of these effects can be found in student physical activity, mental health, social ability, and academic achievement, according to a 2017 study in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

The Swan School open house takes place at 2345 Kuhn St., Port Townsend, on Feb. 14 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., and March 13 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. For more information, call 360-385-7340 or visit swanschool.org online.