Alzar School offers academic semesters for motivated students in 10th, 11th and sometimes 12th grades. Our semesters immerse students in an engaging educational setting emphasizing leadership training. Students explore the wilds of Idaho and Patagonia, Chile in their semester with us, living as part of an intentional community.
In an Alzar School semester, 10th and 11th grade students will tackle all of their traditional classes from their sending schools. All students will take one semester credit for math, science, history, English, Spanish, as well as semester elective credits in leadership and physical education.
Students regularly set foot in our outdoor classrooms. Our Idaho campus is located on the North Fork of the Payette River, 2 miles downstream of the world-class Kellys Whitewater Park and 7 miles upstream of the Class II-III Cabarton Section. Our expeditions take students down some of the USA's best rivers (like the Wild & Scenic Salmon River). Students will also spend an extended period of time in Patagonia, Chile where they will backpack, kayak, raft, and more.
While at Alzar School, students participate in extended expeditions multiple times each semester. Dont worry: our students have a variety of skill levels, and everyone is welcomed and challenged. Students can be beginners or an experts... there are opportunities for everyone. Alzar School teachers will help students build the basics or take existing skills to the next level.
Each semester at Alzar School features an extended trip to Patagonia, Chile (about six weeks in-country). Fall semesters head down in early November and stay through the end of the semester in mid-December. Spring semesters meet in the US at an international airport (typically Atlanta) in late January and head directly to Chile, staying until mid-March. During our time in South America, students will immerse themselves in Spanish. They eat authentic food, learn about the local cultures, and enjoy our lakeside campus at Base Patagonia.
One of the highlights of attending a semester at the Alzar School is when students develop leadership projects they are passionate about. During the semester on campus, each student identifies an issue they want to tackle as a leader, then designs a solution. Upon the completion of the semester at Alzar School, students can recruit friends, family, and classmates to help them complete the project. And, Alzar Schools teachers will support those efforts along the way.