Student Life

RESIDENTIAL LIFE

Learning happens everywhere... 

… especially when you live at school. Our identities influence and shape how we move through our lives, and living together on campus is at the heart of creating a thriving community where we all belong. We live by our values and practice the 10 commitments in our daily lives.

From house retreats and house dinners to celebrations and open mic nights, students create community by bringing their leadership and passions to the residential life experience. During evening programming, students create and participate in clubs, learn new skills and engage deeper with academics. Weekend programming continues with current events, community service projects, events on campus and fun trips off campus.

Clubs, groups & Activities

The Residential Life team works directly with students and staff to engage our passions, move our bodies, build our brains, and follow our hearts. You’ll find many choices and opportunities to bring your interests to clubs and activities. Some current examples of clubs and activities include:

Weekends and Free Time

Students have a more flexible schedule from Saturday afternoon through Sunday. There are also periods of free/choice time scattered throughout the week. Students use this time to rest, connect with friends and family back home, participate in off-campus trips, and explore interests and passions - solo or in community with others. With a prestigious campus at our fingertips, it’s easy to take advantage of the resources available, including staff who are excited to share their talents, or learn new skills together.

Human Performance

Our Human Performance department oversees the following activities, some of which are required for all students and are built into our weekly schedule, and some that are offered to students during flexible time: 

• Intramural sports: our full-community participates in team sports every Wednesday morning
• Morning exercise: running/walking, fitness, yoga
• Classes that incorporate Human Performance
• Open gym
• Games and tournaments (basketball, volleyball, pickle ball, etc)
• Climbing (indoors/outdoors on campus, off-site at climbing walls in town)
• Strength training
• Nutrition
• NWTF Fitness (Non-binary, Women, Trans, Fem)
• Bike club
• Off-site paddling
• Local races (5k, Sprint Triathlon, etc)

 

Supported by our Workout Warriors (student leaders), our Human Performance staff maintain and supervise the incredible campus facilities that are dedicated to physical fitness and activity:

• Gym (with full basketball court)
• Dojo
• Weight Room
• Olympic-sized Pool
• Indoor Climbing Wall
• Sports Fields

outdoor education

A new student’s Eagle Rock journey begins with a unique orientation: a 24-day backpacking trip in the wilderness. This is an introduction to both the values and community commitments of our school, as well as a model of education that honors the outdoors as a wise teacher. 

Once returning to campus, students have on-going opportunities to incorporate outdoor adventure into their daily routines, whether through classes or residential activities.

Outdoor education at Eagle Rock School involves incorporating experiential learning and engagement with the natural environment to enhance students' personal growth, teamwork and problem-solving skills.

Sampling of Outdoor Education Classes:

• Colorado Rocks (rock climbing and local geology)

• Adventure Filmmaking

• Physics of Mountain Biking

• Fly Fishing and River Ecology

• Adventure Writing (hiking Colorado peaks and creative nonfiction writing)

Sampling of Outdoor Education Activities:

• Hiking and rock climbing on our 640-acre campus 

• Climbing on an indoor rock wall, in our gym on campus or by taking trips into town 

• Mountain biking on or off campus 

• Hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park

 

We have a close relationship with Rocky Mountain National Park, and many students have participated in summer internships with the park (some of whom turned that experience into careers as park rangers or as part of a Hot Shots crew). We are also connected to the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), and Outward Bound; we regularly support students to secure scholarships to attend outdoor leadership skills courses with these organizations.

A full-circle experience for veteran students is the opportunity to be an instructor on one of the new-student wilderness orientation courses.

DINING

Inspired by cuisines that reflect the cultures of our community members, and using local/organic ingredients when possible, our professionally trained chefs prepare 3 delicious and nutritious meals a day for students, staff and guests. We eat together in our lodge dining hall.

 

In service to the community, all students are scheduled for kitchen patrol (KP) multiple times each week, where they practice food preparation, serving and bussing skills. Students gain valuable real-world kitchen experience on KP; many students have used these qualifications to get jobs after graduation.

RESTORATIVE PRACTICES

 

LEARN ABOUT RESTORATIVE PRACTICES AT EAGLE ROCK

Student Leadership

Leadership looks very different from one person to the next, and we honor and support the development of all types of leaders. In our community, there are a number of opportunities for students to explore different leadership roles, building their confidence, inspiring and directing others, or simply being an example through embodying their values. 

Student Leadership Opportunities

• Peer Mentor

• Student Ambassador

• House Representative

• Peer Mediator

• Restorative Practices Circle Keeper

• KP Leader (kitchen patrol)

• Community Gathering Facilitator

• Intramurals Team Captain

• DEI Student Leader for Justice

• Student Instructor

• Student Wilderness Instructor

 

Students also have the opportunity to be trained and checked off to supervise campus spaces without staff present:

Workout Warriors: gym and dojo
Art Guild: art spaces
Guardians of Sound: music studio
Bookworms: library