Fair Haven Union Middle School has completed the 39th year of its renowned G.A.P. (Great Adventure Project) summer program, an immersive, week long, outdoor learning experience for 7th and 8th grade students in the Slate Valley Unified Union School District. This year, 16 students participated in the program, which focused on investigating both the natural and human history of the Southern Lake Champlain Drainage Basin.
Founded in 1986 by educator Chris Stanton at Orwell Village School, G.A.P. has evolved over four decades. Stanton continued the program through his time teaching at Fair Haven Grade School and expanded it to all middle school students following district consolidation.
Throughout the multi-day program, students engaged in hiking and kayaking excursions across various sites in the region. After each outdoor activity, they collected trash at the locations visited, reinforcing their role as environmental stewards. Back at school, students conducted research on the organisms and abiotic elements they observed in the field. Their findings were compiled into a group booklet, blending science, writing, and visual documentation. View the Flip Book file by going to: https://heyzine.com/flip-book/329825ffcf.html
Or see the PDF version at: https://5il.co/3lxz6
Once again, this year’s G.A.P. experience was made possible through generous support from the Vermont Community Foundation and the South Lake Champlain Fund.
The 2026 program will mark the 40th anniversary of G.A.P., celebrating four decades of hands-on environmental education and student growth.
For more information about the G.A.P. program, please contact Fair Haven Union Middle School.