Institute Overview

The Institute is a two-week, all-residential program in environmental studies designed to accommodate up to 30 students. The topic of the environment is inherently interdisciplinary, complex, inspiring, and urgent. It is a subject that demands full engagement, and gifted students thrive when given the opportunity to fully engage with demanding topics with peers who ask demanding questions. When the topic can be addressed outside the confines of a classroom, the interaction of learner and subject blossoms. The 1000-acre Glen Helen Preserve, one of Ohio’s precious natural preserves and site of the region's first residential environmental education program, is uniquely suited to study of the enviroment.

The Learning Experience

Students explore a variety of topics in Environmental Studies, including environmental philosophy, ecology, eco-art, watershed management, stustainable agriculture, environmental education, and energy dependence. The focus on experiential learning where students are engaged through hands-on activities, discussions, and problem-solving make Antioch's Institute ideal for the gifted learner. As part of the multi-disciplinary curriculum in Environmental Studies, students will have the opportunity to:

• visit a working organic farm. Work side by side with the farmers, while learning about sustainable agricultural practices.
• see live birds of prey, such as barred owls and red-tailed hawks, and get hands-on instruction with wildlife rehabilitation and raptor ecology.
• meet with an environmental activist to discuss policy and law, then work with peers and professionals to develop solutions to local environmental problems.
• use art, such as photography and sculpture, to see the environment in a new way and to discover a sense of place.
• wade in streams to collect benthic macroinvertebrates and take measurements that will identify pollution levels.
• collect data on personal habits to calculate ecological footprings, and devise strategies to lesson ecological impacts.
• visit a home that was designed with the environment in mind to learn about energy efficiency, and other green building strategies.

The Living Experience
Students are housed in a camp-style dormitory at the Glen Helen Outdoor Education Center, located in the heart of the preserve. The unit consists of one main building divided into four large rooms.  Males will be on one side, females on the other and there is a common space in the middle.  Separate bathrooms and showers for males and females are located on either side of the dorm.  The housing unit will allow the swift development of the deep discourse that is possible when gifted students have sustained contact with intellectual peers in a stimulating environment. The residential format also provides a setting conducive to meaningful interaction with Antioch faculty and staff. 

In an effort to engage the students fully and help them embrace a feeling of total environmental immersion, we request that students leave cell phones and PDAs at home. The Program Assistants will have cell phones at all time in case of emergency, and phones will be available at the Outdoor Education Center for necessary calls.

At Glen Helen, students will eat in the Lodge dining hall at the Outdoor Education Center. Three hot meals will be served every day and will include both meat and vegetarian options. We practice what we preach at Glen Helen by serving organic and sustainable food options when possible.

Security and Supervision
The Outdoor Education Center’s facilities are not open to the general public. Staff continually monitors the site and are vigilant about redirecting public traffic. All facilities are regularly inspected to ensure adherence to health, fire, and safety codes. All meals are prepared in the Outdoor Education Center's regularly inspected kitchen by professional kitchen staff according to institutional nutrition and menu planning guidelines. All Institute drivers will be certified by the transportation department through driving record police checks.

During the Institute, students will be supervised by experienced Program Assistants at night and while on dorm breaks. Each of the dorm wings have an alarmed fire exit to the outside of the building. One Program Assistant is responsible for the supervision of students in each wing at all times. Program Assistants will accompany and assist students throughout day and evening activities, whether on site at the outdoor education center, or off site on field trips. Students will be continuously supervised, in an unobtrusive, but available manner. All Program Assistants have experience supervising youth in a residential program setting and have both training and experience in childhood development and proactive behavior management. All staff will have been fingerprinted and cleared by FBI background checks and have current First Aid and CPR certification. Each Institute staff member will have on site training in risk management and emergency procedures, building emergencies, weather emergencies, medical emergencies, and missing person protocol. First aid kits and an emergency cell phone with programmed first responder numbers will be carried by the Program Assistants.

During orientation, students will be familiarized with program safety regulations and the emergency and severe weather procedures, and with contact numbers posted in each building. Students who exhibit behavior that is detrimental to the group experience will be counseled; should the behavior prove intractable the student may be sent home. Any student who exhibits intractable behavior that is dangerous to self or others will be sent home without refund.