Phone: (831) 335-3205
Fax: (831) 335-7726
Email: [email protected]
MISSION SPRINGS CONFERENCE CENTER
1050 Lockhart Gulch Road
Scotts Valley, CA 95066
--Aristotle
Mission Springs Website
Mission Springs Outdoor Education utilizes hands-on
science and team-building activities to foster positive
student relationships and to promote good
stewardship of the environment.
Mission Springs Lodgings
Map to Mission Springs
Mission Springs has been offering outdoor education programs since 1978.
Just off Highway 17, Mission Springs is tucked away in a small redwood canyon outside the town of Scotts Valley, about 10 minutes north of Santa Cruz and 40 minutes south of San Jose. Mission Springs" outdoor classroom consists of 300 acres of redwood forest and oak/chaparral. Also, there are beautiful state beaches and parks nearby that are used as field trip sites.
Our outdoor classes and field trips have been engineered to teach students about nature while helping them build better relational skills in the process. We have tailored our program to suuport the California Science Standards for 6th grade. You will receive a copy of our pre-curriculum that will help prepare your students to get the most out of their outdoor education experience.
A highly qualified and caring staff are essential for the success of an outdoor education program. Our instructors, called Naturalists, are selected for the following:
>> Bachelors degree
>> Previous experience working with children
>> Excellent role models
>> First aid/CPR certification and fingerprint clearance
--Frances Moore Lappe
Utilizing the beautiful lodges of Mission Springs Conference Center gives our program a higher level of comfort than most other outdoor schools. All rooms are equipped with carpeting, heating, and hot water. Some rooms have bathrooms in them; other rooms are arranged around a central hallway with a shared bathroom. Housing is assigned by Mission Springs to best serve the supervisory needs of each school. A typical housing situation has 3-4 students in a room with chaperones either in the same room or right next door. Teachers determine roommates. We have a maximum capacity of 200 students per week in addition to their accompanying chaperones and teachers.
