2025 ANCA Outdoor School Summit
Jan 10-14 at NorthBay in North East, Maryland
As an outdoor school on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, NorthBay offers Summit participants a dynamic setting for networking, problem-solving, and exchanging best practices at the 2025 ANCA Outdoor School Summit.
NorthBay has provided outdoor residential education programs for over 300,000 public school students from 350 schools since 2005. These immersive, multi-day programs allow students to learn about a variety of subjects while they conduct authentic investigations of environmental issues. NorthBay also offers innovative tutoring programs and team-building day trips for students, as well as retreats and activities for all ages.
Campus
Lodging
NorthBay’s campus offers lodging for up to 600. Facilities include:
- 36 cabins with six bunk beds each
- “Goshawk” Bunk Rooms, including eight rooms with seven bunk beds each
- “Kestrel” Hotel Rooms, 17 rooms with two twin beds each
- The Guest House, featuring 11 private hotel rooms and a fully equipped kitchen
Dining
The dining hall at NorthBay is a large, inviting space designed to serve nutritious meals to groups of up to 550 people. Meals are typically served family-style, with eight people per table.
Activities
Other facilities allow for a variety of group activities, including:
- An adaptable high-tech theater
- An expansive gymnasium, appropriate for multiple sports and activities
- A variety of adventure elements such as a high ropes course, zipline, and both indoor and outdoor climbing walls
Programs
NorthBay Legacy Program
NorthBay's Legacy program is a 5-day on-campus experience. Students learn in a variety of subjects while they conduct authentic investigations of environmental issues, and are challenged to recognize how their actions affect their futures, their communities, and the environment.
NorthBay Accelerated
NorthBay Accelerated is an innovative tutoring intervention for Maryland middle school students. Participants attend an intensive week-long experience, followed by tutoring in literacy and social emotional learning throughout the subsequent semester, as well as additional weekend-long residential experiences. The success of this program results in increasing literacy rates by 1.5 grade levels per semester, alongside significant measurable gains in social connection, motivation, and self-regulation.
Team-Building Day Trips
NorthBay's team-building programs are designed to increase communication, collaboration and trust. These day trips involve problem-solving challenges and adventure elements such as ziplines, ropes courses, and climbing walls.
Retreats
NorthBay offers retreats for a variety of groups, using the natural environment of the Chesapeake Bay as a backdrop for fostering personal and professional growth. Retreats can include a wide array of indoor and outdoor activities.
