The School

Hammond School is a K4 – 12 college preparatory school in Columbia, SC. It is the largest independent school in South Carolina, and as a part of its preparation for college and leadership in later life, Hammond is committed to experiential education.

Experiential education is learning by doing, a commitment that moves the traditional classroom to venues around the world. Starting in the fourth grade, each grade is involved in some form of trip or workshop. Young people today find it so easy to fit into a society that observes life rather than participating in life. Experiential education takes students out of their chair and out of their comfort zone and requires them to participate in the learning process.

This is a pattern at Hammond that has evolved over the last seventeen years. The Belize Expedition takes students into a Central American country to experience life at a different pace and a different level. All of the trips focus on students learning to work through being uncomfortable and working together with fellow students to experience new places and to learn new skills. For example, the fourth grade travels to Earthshine and spends four days experiencing a time focused on the book, The Education of Little Tree. The fifth grade spends a week at Williamsburg. The sixth grade focuses on environmental science at Barrier Island. The seventh grade spends a week at Green River Camp learning climbing skills and early wilderness skills. The eighth grade travels to Washington, DC. The ninth grade does four days of kayak and canoe training at the Nantahala Outdoor Center. The tenth grade spends six days with Outward Bound instruction on a trek. The eleventh grade travels to Belize for ten days. The seniors end their time at Hammond with a six day senior trip in the Chattooga basin.

Hopefully, all of this will create a lifelong love of the environment, wilderness and of learning outdoor skills. Also, Hammond is convinced that this emphasis on experiential education provides deep education for leadership training.

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