Our new Outdoor Recreation program was recently featured on WCAX news. Click here to watch the video. 

LYNDON CENTER, Vt. (WCAX) - When the pandemic hit, many people opted to head outside. As a result, one Vermont school is taking the increase in outdoor activities and teaching students how to get involved in the industry.

Students at the Lyndon Institute will have a chance to test the waters in Vermont’s ever-growing outdoor industry, and learn leadership skills, too.

It’s all because of a new program in their career and technical education department, called Outdoor Recreation. It’s an expansion of their 2018 program, Project Bike Tech. While students can still learn those skills, they also have the chance to learn leadership values through classes in the outdoor recreation program.

The curriculum focuses heavily on the environment, winter survival skills, wilderness skills and orienteering.

Staff at the Northeast Kingdom School say with the popularity of outdoor activities expanding, the demand for these kinds of classes is there.

“For better or worse, I think the pandemic also prompted this, right, it forced a lot of people outside and we saw the outdoor recreation industry significantly expand over the course of the pandemic, and this was kind of for us the opportune time to make the expansion into a comprehensive program,” said Jeremy White of the Lyndon Institute.

White also says they’re potentially looking to expand into a ski tech program in the future, as well.

Click here to watch the video of Elissa Borden’s full conversation with Jeremy White and Anna Saco about the new recreation program.