Student Life

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Being an Intentional Community

Both on campus and out in the world, through their academics and recreational activities, Maine Coast Semester students learn to function as part of something bigger than themselves, contributing their efforts toward a shared goal. Living in a small cabin with other students, planning Saturday night’s entertainment, working together to chop wood and grow and gather food – these experiences create strong bonds of respect and caring.

A Day in the Life

A Day in the Life What’s a typical day like at Maine Coast Semester? Each day we embrace academics, work, community, and the natural world in a way that makes ...

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Blog: To The Point

Read the latest news from Maine Coast Semester including student-written blogs.

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Cabin Life

Cabin Life Ask a Chewonki student about a highlight from their time here and you’ll often hear stories about impromptu cabin dance parties or time spent gathered around the woodstove ...

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Campus

Maine’s Spectacular Coast Maine Coast Semester at Chewonki is on Chewonki Neck, a 400-acre peninsula located on the shoreline of midcoast Maine. The land supports a diverse array of ecosystems including fields, forest, ...

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Outdoor Program

There are three major outdoor experiences (“peaks”) throughout the semester: Backcountry Expeditions, Outdoor Leadership Weekend, and Solos. During backcountry expeditions in the fall semester, students spend five days canoeing, backpacking, ...

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Salt Marsh Farm

Salt Marsh Farm at Chewonki The Salt Marsh Farm sits on the ancestral land of the Wabanaki people, who tended this place for thousands of years. We honor that deep ...

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Weekends

Weekends The rhythm of Maine Coast Semester changes on weekends. Active learning takes place in new ways – exploring our landscape, exercising, developing new skills, cooking meals together, taking part ...

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Work Program

Work Program At Maine Coast Semester, our work program, daily chores, and dish crews are more than just “helping out.” They’re a big part of what makes this place feel ...

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See what parents and students are saying about Maine Coast Semester:

"If you are considering going to Maine Coast Semester, I can’t recommend it highly enough."

More than any other experience, it promoted my growth into a mature, self-knowing individual who could collaborate, share my passions and values with others, and work hard toward a shared goal. The experience is stripped of unnecessary fluff. You live in a wood stove-heated cabin on the Maine coast, take courses that place the material in the context of the natural world around you and the experiences you are gaining as a group, have amazing adventures hiking and canoeing in the Maine wilderness, and build a community with peers from around the country who become life-long friends. 

"The faculty was amazing and I cannot express enough gratitude for the lasting memories she made on campus."

My daughter attended the Maine Coast Semester program during her Junior year in high school. This was a very different experience for her coming from a traditional high school in Kentucky. She thrived in so many ways! Some of the highlights included: hands on immersion with real life coastal science and working on a farm, she loved being witness to baby farm animals being born, she grew in her critical thinking skills and independence, no cell phones was a huge plus for getting outside and forming deep and lasting relationships that have continued to grow outside of the program. 

"Our son attended the spring semester of Maine Coast Semester."

 It was definitely a transformative experience. As an only child, he learned to live with others cooperatively. He developed skills he would never have encountered in a traditional high school, especially an appreciation for the environment, cooking, maintaining the farm, heating their cabin, safely enjoying the outdoors, and being solo in the woods. He earned the highest grades he had ever had despite the academic program being more challenging than even his competitive private high school. He is now an adult, and we can see the skills from Maine Coast Semester carried over into his work and family life.

"It changed my life."

I was a Maine Coast Semester student in 2002. I became more independent, realized that I had the power to choose my own life course, and met people from all over the country. It was a great opportunity to expand my horizons.

"It was truly life changing for all of us."

It’s hard to describe the respect and admiration we have for the people who helped our daughter gain the confidence she needed to lean into the things she loves, learn from mistakes, and find her voice. What would I change? Possibly a full year experience to live and experience 3 seasons at the school. We love you Chewonki!!

"From the moment we were greeted…"

 …by the Chewonki faculty and administration, to the handmade sign greeting I got from my daughter and her friends on visiting day, to the snowy pickup of our amazing daughter, we felt the love of nature, the joy of community and the commitment to the environment of this very special place.

"I would highly encourage anyone interested to explore Maine Coast Semester attendance."

Indeed, I very much hope to send my own children to Maine Coast Semester one day!

"My semester on Chewonki neck taught me the power of a truly intentional, connected community."

We lived close to the land and in tune with the natural world, and while the academics were rigorous, the faculty helped us keep the larger goals of cultivating curiosity, open-mindedness, and thoughtfulness always at the fore. Even now, many years later, I continue to draw lessons from those meaningful days and the lasting friendships I built during that time.

"I attended Maine Coast Semester during the fall of my junior year of high school."

Even after amazing subsequent college and graduate school experiences, Maine Coast Semester remains the single most transformative educational experience of my life.

"I would highly recommend this school for a semester program away!"

The faculty was amazing and I cannot express enough gratitude for the lasting memories she made on campus. She retold many joyful stories of playing outside at night on frozen ponds, “coffee shop” style talent shows, and a two day culminating “solo” camping trip that helped her reflect on herself as a friend, student, and community member. 

"My daughter’s time at Maine Coast Semester at Chewonki was life-changing for her!"

From the moment she arrived until the last hug goodbye, she was challenged in new ways, encouraged by wonderful teachers, and found lifelong friendships. We are so grateful she took a leap of faith and went outside of her comfort zone. The administration’s thoughtful care and communication with parents was also much appreciated. She returned to her sending school with more confidence, a greater sense of herself, and lasting memories.

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Maine Coast Semester at Chewonki is a four-month, college-preparatory semester school for motivated high school juniors. Students live and learn on a 400-acre coastal campus in Maine, taking rigorous courses in science, humanities, math, and languages while conducting field research, working on a sustainable farm, and building leadership skills in the outdoors.

Maine Coast Semester at Chewonki • 485 Chewonki Neck Road • Wiscasset, Maine 04578 • (207) 656-5817 • info@chewonki.org
Chewonki is a 501(C)3 non-profit organization. ©2022 All Rights Reserved.