Six weeks into the fall semester, the days have grown short and Chewonki is brilliantly outfitted in gold, orange, red and yellow. Frost has started to creep over campus, but dropping temperatures can’t get Semester 63 down. This tight-knit community is ready to support each other through anything – and that’s good considering what’s still ahead of them.

Having finished their five-day wilderness trips earlier this month, semester 63 is headed full-speed towards mid-terms, outdoor leadership weekend, solos, and their human ecology capstones. Each of these activities will ask students to stretch themselves in different ways. They’ll be asked to spend two nights alone in the woods, learn how to perform CPR and first-aid, and most importantly, to think deeply about what they can do as individuals to create positive change in their community. But they won’t have to do it on their own. Building strong bonds of respect and caring is a core part of our curriculum — so that as each student reaches for their best self, they’ve got dozens of hands holding them up. Semester 63 has absolutely excelled at community building so far, and we can’t wait to see how they tackle the rest of the semester!

We’ll let the students of semester 63 tell you a little more about their Maine Coast Semester experience in their own words:

Brushing up on Community, by Audrey Larson, St. Margeret’s Episcopal School, Ladera Ranch, CA

At the End of Wilderness Trips, What’s Left? by Erica Erdenesana, Milton Academy, Milton, MA

Exactly What a Normal Week Looks Like at Maine Coast Semester, by Ruby Peterman, Baxter Academy for Technology and Science, Portland, ME

What If… It’s Better than I Expected? by James Tilson, the Nueva School, Burlingame, CA

Now I’m Sure, Maine Coast Semester was the Best Decision, by Sam Child, Santa Fe Prep, Santa Fe, NM

Work Program? More Like Fun Program, by Lucy Wolfe, The Blake School, Edina, MN

Home is Where the Heart Is, by Jules Gross, The Barrie School, Silver Spring, MD

Interested in learning more about Maine Coast Semester? Schedule a time to visit campus, attend an evening info session, or come to one of our school presentations!