January 10-14 at NorthBay in North East, Maryland
The ANCA Outdoor School Summit brings together directors and management staff from overnight outdoor schools, residential environmental learning centers, and nature-based camps across North America. These organizations share the unique challenges of housing and feeding program participants for multiple days, and the Summit fosters a space to solve problems and build connections in this particular field. ANCA holds the Outdoor School Summit in person every two years.
The 2025 Outdoor School Summit takes place at NorthBay, an outdoor school situated on the shores of Maryland's Chesapeake Bay. NorthBay’s impressive campus offers a scenic waterfront setting for Summit participants to learn and network throughout the event.
This Summit is relevant to any organization that offers overnight, multi-day programs that are based in environmental education, and we welcome all professionals in leadership or management positions at these organizations.
We are currently accepting proposals for Facilitated Discussions at the Summit. Learn more about submitting a proposal here.
The Outdoor School Summit is the single most useful gathering of practitioners in the country for residential EE programs. Imagine all of the biggest challenges you have at your center, and in this one weekend gathering you will leave with ideas and ways to approach all of them ... from people who have been in the same place as you!
— John DiDiego, Education Director, Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont
Registration
Registration will open in early November.
About NorthBay
Over 300,000 public school students from 350 schools and 21 districts have participated in NorthBay’s outdoor residential education programs 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.
NorthBay's campus features an impressive array of facilities, including:
- Lodging for up to 600 people, with a variety of cabins, bunk rooms, and hotel-style rooms
- A dining hall with a 550-person capacity
- 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
NorthBay is situated in Elk Neck State Park, which spans over 2,000 acres that include forests, marshlands, white clay cliffs, and sandy shorelines. The Park offers hiking trails and amenities such as the Turkey Point Lighthouse, which provides expansive views of the Chesapeake Bay.
NorthBay is ten minutes from North East, a charming town with local shops, boutiques, and restaurants. The nearest airports are the Philadelphia International Airport (an hour’s drive) and the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (an hour and fifteen minutes).
Programs
Site Tours
See behind the scenes at NorthBay and witness firsthand how the organization provides educational experiences for all types of guests. Here you can learn directly from your peers in a hands-on capacity, with the opportunity to ask questions while going beyond the theory, and into practice.
Open Space Sessions
Participants in a session at the 2023 Outdoor School Summit.The Outdoor School Summit uses an "Open Space" system to conduct conference sessions. On Saturday of the Summit, all participants come together to collectively suggest and select session topics. Summit organizers then create a session schedule for the following two days. Given this system, we invite you to bring management-level and program topics to the Summit to suggest as sessions.
All sessions have a discussion-based format so that everyone can contribute ideas and experiences. If you suggest a topic, you will be asked to facilitate the session by introducing the topic and creating a discussion among the participants.
The role of the facilitator is to create fair opportunities for sharing, keep the discussions on track, and make sure everyone has the opportunity to participate. These sessions are not presentations followed by questions and answers, nor the place where the facilitator is expected to answer all of the questions. Such sessions are an advantage to the facilitator because the discussion requires less formal preparation, and the facilitator does not need to be perceived as the expert.
This system allows you to collaboratively create your Summit experience, and provides the opportunity for you to be an active participant rather than a passive listener. This is also an excellent way for you to get to know your peers and how similar organizations work.
“Open Space sessions were highly effective for this group of people. This was my first time experiencing this type of collaboration and it is by far the most value I've ever received from a conference.”
— 2023 Outdoor School Summit Pariticpant
Facilitated Discussions
This year, we are excited to invite participants to submit proposals in advance for a limited number of planned Facilitated Discussions. Facilitated Discussions are conversational sessions in which all participants contribute to the discussion. Facilitators guide the dialogue and do not give a formal presentation. These sessions last 90 minutes.
We are introducing Facilitated Discussions to the event for multiple reasons:
- Planned discussions ensure we include topics relevant to our audience.
- An invitation to lead a discussion can justify Summit participation, and help anyone who must request approval to attend.
- Planned discussions are an opportunity to provide training and experience in facilitating a discussion with a group of peers.
We are currently accepting proposals for Facilitated Discussions. Learn more about submitting a proposal here.
Networking
Here's where you can build a network of professional relationships that will strengthen your work throughout the year — but don't worry, you won't be milling about in a stuffy environment. The culture of the Summit is engaging, welcoming, and fun, and those qualities shine in our evening networking activities.
FAQs
Curious about the Outdoor School Summit? Here are some frequently asked questions about the event.