If you’ve ever chatted with Mr. Willms, you'd know he is someone uniquely dedicated to the outdoors and the adventure it brings. For our students, this passion translates to an array of authentic, meaningful outdoor opportunities. Each of these opportunities, or Outdoor Pursuits as we know them, is planned for students to learn, take risks, and share unfamiliar experiences; each opportunity is intentional in developing students’ empathy, love, and care for the natural world that we all share and depend upon.

Mr. Willms Shares How Your Gifts Enhance Outdoor Pursuits at Meadowridge

What does the Annual Fund mean to Mr. Willms? It means opportunity.

If you’ve ever chatted with Mr. Willms, the answer should come as no surprise; he is someone uniquely dedicated to the outdoors and the adventure it brings. For our students, this passion translates to an array of authentic, meaningful outdoor opportunities. Each opportunity – or Outdoor Pursuits as we know them – is planned for students to learn, take risks, and share unfamiliar experiences; each opportunity is intentional in developing students’ empathy, love, and care for the natural world that we all share and depend upon.

The Annual Fund is fundamental in offering these pursuits.

Just last week, our MYP and DP students headed off on their Week Without Walls adventures. The trips were, in a word, wet. “There was a lot of rain fall,” Mr. Willms chuckles. Forty-four millimeters fell over the course of the week. With all this rain, and without the proper equipment, our Grade 10 trip travelling up the Indian Arm could’ve been disastrous. Without the proper equipment, our students would’ve been left up a creek without warm, dry tents to sleep in, reliable camp stoves to cook on, and high-quality cookware to eat from. (Mr. Jackson shared a similar story here!)  

"Without the proper equipment, our students would’ve been left up a creek without warm, dry tents to sleep in, reliable camp stoves to cook on, and high-quality cookware to eat from"
Mr. James Willms

Your gifts ensured that our students were thoroughly supported with exceptional gear. Purchased through the Annual Fund, students had expedition-ready gear to keep themselves warm, dry, and nourished throughout the week. Not just that, but by having access to these resources often and early on, students were more than prepared for their adventures… rain or shine. “That’s huge,” Mr. Willms explains, “having the equipment on-hand lets students practice how to assemble and use and care for it all in the safety of our campus.” This results in safer, more enjoyable trips. This builds students’ confidence; and, as students’ confidence and comfort grow, so too does their appreciation and commitment to the outdoors. Every opportunity counts.

“The OE3 Program is new and ever-evolving, and the Annual Fund is what lets us build the program and offer these unique experiences.” Mr. Willms concludes.