WISCASSET — Outdoor Classroom Program Director Andrew Bezon and a team of Chewonki instructors greeted the Wiscasset eighth-grade class Monday morning as they arrived at Chewonki in two school busses packed with students, teachers and gear.

Their arrival is the start of a four-day camping and learning expedition that will take place on Chewonki Neck this week. The students will be divided up into groups of 10 students and two leaders, spending the majority of their time in the outdoors.

Activities include, farm, forest and pond studies, team building and group challenges, such as the “Barn Climb” and “Crossing the Gulch.” The groups will camp in tents and prepare their meals along the shore in small groups.

The Wiscasset eighthgraders have been coming for ecology-based day programs at Chewonki for nearly 20 years, but only recently their visit has evolved into overnight experiences. The students are joined by science teacher Sue Kistenmacher and chaperones from the community.

Their visit is made possible by a grant from the Environmental Living and Learning for Maine Students Collaborative (ELLMS), whose long-term goal is to make residential environmental education accessible to all public schools in Maine.

“Sue Kistenmacher has been working with Chewonki for years and together we have customized a program that meets the specific educational goals of Wiscasset,” said Bezon. “We are thrilled that the students will be able to spend three nights and four days with us.” On Thursday, eighth-graders will join students of Chewonki Semester School for a special World Food Day (www.worldfooddayusa.org) luncheon, the goal of which is to strengthen the political will to end hunger.

“At Chewonki, students and staff will come together for a meal that celebrates the bounty of local sustainable agriculture.”

Chewonki President Willard Morgan added that the Chewonki staff is excited to be welcoming students from our local communities onto the Chewonki Campus. This is part of a larger effort to serve children from neighboring towns, he noted.

“Chewonki is making a concerted effort to support local students and schools, especially those closest to us in Wiscasset, Westport Island, Woolwich, Bath, Newcastle, Damariscotta, Alna and Edgecomb,” he said. “We are raising funds that help subsidize the cost of these programs and want to get the word out about this support and how the program impacts students and teachers in a positive way.”