Experiential learning plays a big role throughout the middle school years.  The sixth grade makes two visits to school’s 15 and a half acre mountain campus up in the foothills outside of Denver.  On the first of these trips, students catch local insects to help them complete their sixth grade “bug project.”  This project involves collecting, pinning, and cataloguing over 20 distinct insects.  On the second visit to the hills, students stay overnight in the dormitories and take part in numerous outdoor group activities.  They learn about the local ecosystem on day-long hikes in the surrounding hills and spend time examining things with an eye to learning more about their surroundings.