Field Trips
Northern Light School is proud to offer a wide range of opportunities for students to explore our country, build self-confidence, and develop the bedrock values of compassion, teamwork, and perseverance that are the hallmarks of our graduates.
Students start overnight trips in the 4th and 5th grades and develop a comfort with being away from home while learning important interpersonal skills and relevant academic content. From there, they travel out of state in the summer following 7th grade year to the beautiful Yellowstone National Park in Montana. During 8th grade year, students fundraise for a spring trip to Washington D.C that serves as a capstone of their Northern Light journey.
Yellowstone Retreat
The annual 7th Grade Yellowstone Retreat, generously sponsored by the Wright Family since 2011, is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Northern Light School’s incoming eighth grade students to build character, work as a team, and transform into leaders of the school.
For one week in July, the incoming eighth graders participate in hiking excursions, ropes courses, archery classes, whitewater rafting, cooking classes, animal watching expeditions, and lectures by world-class mountaineering experts. From heartfelt discussions around the fire to a willpower-testing hike to the peak of Mount Cedar, this trip pushes students to go further than they thought possible. By the end of the week, the incoming eighth grade class is strong, confident, and prepared to tackle any obstacle - academic or emotional - that they may encounter during the coming school year.
Washington D.C.
The annual 8th Grade Trip to Washington, D.C. is an opportunity for 8th grade students to visit our Nation's Capital 
and walk in the footsteps of the courageous men and women who shaped America. Students take in the Capitol Building, the White House, the Library of Congress, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Georgetown University, the renowned memorials on the Washington Mall, the Smithsonian Institution Museums, the Pentagon, Mount Vernon, and much more!
and walk in the footsteps of the courageous men and women who shaped America. Students take in the Capitol Building, the White House, the Library of Congress, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Georgetown University, the renowned memorials on the Washington Mall, the Smithsonian Institution Museums, the Pentagon, Mount Vernon, and much more! In addition to visiting national landmarks, the eighth grade class connects with Northern Light School Alumni attending college or university in Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and New York – all of whom travel to the D.C. Metro Area to share a very special meal with their Northern Light School family.
The eighth graders fundraise for this trip throughout their final year at Northern Light School by putting on bake sales, hosting dances, and coming up with their own creative ways to bring in sponsorships. This experience teaches them valuable, real-world economic lessons and forces them to work together to achieve a common objective.