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McMurray Middle School
Exploratory
Week
June 11 to 15, 2018
Table of Contents
2 Table of Contents
3 General Information
4 Rules of Behavior
5 A Ticket to the City
6 A Hero’s Journey for Boys
7 A Hero’s Journey for Girls
8 The Magic of Photography
9 Play in the Dirt: mountain biking
10 Vashon to Vantage: distance cycling
General Information
The Purpose of Exploratory Week is to engage each of our 8th
grade students in interest and career-based experiences that aug-
ment the McMurray curriculum and nurture social, emotional and
interpersonal growth.
All program fees are $200.00 or less. Payments
may be made in full by April 1st, or you may pay in
three monthly installments beginning April 1st.
In order to be eligible to participate in Exploratory Week, a stu-
dent may:
Not have more than one “F” grade on the current grade report.
Have no unserved detentions
Have no unexcused tardies.
Have no bus discipline notices
Students will follow the McMurray Code of Conduct and the legal pol-
icies of the communities they visit. Disruptive behavior may result
in a student being sent home at the parent’s expense.
When you complete the on-line selection form you will be asked to rank or-
der your top three choices. We will try to place you in your top choice, but
that is not always possible. Don’t expect to be placed in a group with all of
your friends, as part of our purpose is to give students an opportunity to
interact with others whom they may not ordinarily socialize. We ask that
you react positively to your assignment.
No student will be denied his/her choice based on financial cir-
cumstances. Scholarships are available. We ask that scholar-
ship recipients make at least a partial payment if possible.
Rules of Behavior
The specific educational goals vary by course, but the week is designed to
provide students with an opportunity to learn new skills, experience new
situations, face challenges, improve teamwork skills and explore possible
career or educational opportunities.
I UNDERSTAND THAT...Exploratory Week is an experience-based learning
activity for 8th grade students who attend McMurray Middle School
I UNDERSTAND THAT...experience-based learning activities will occur
throughout the week. I understand these activities involve a certain
amount of risk and that the school district is taking reasonable steps to
ensure student safety.
I UNDERSTAND THAT...each student is expected to:
Behave in a manner that is respectful of group leaders and students.
Participate in all group learning activities.
Complete assignments or required tasks throughout the week.
Follow instructions of the group leaders and instructors.
Comply with the expectations for appropriate behavior, language and
dress.
I UNDERSTAND THAT... Students who are not able to meet these expecta-
tions may be asked to leave the activity. Should this occur, I understand
that I may need to make arrangements to remove my child from this activi-
ty at my own expense.
Fee: $200.00
Carolyn Zike & Yvette Butler
MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY
Ride the Mono-
rail to Seattle
Center
Ride the Ducks
Lunch at Seattle
Center Armory
HipCooks cook-
ing class
Tour the South
Lake Union area
Pike Place
Market
Ride the Big
Wheel
Alki Beach
Lunch at Pegasus
Pizza
Bowling at West
Seattle Bowl
Point Ruston
Lunch on the
Tacoma Water-
front
Bike Rental
Movie
Are you getting a little
tired of the same old scenery on Vashon? Are you ready
to learn how to explore Seattle and Tacoma with your
friends? Over the course of the week you can learn how
to safely navigate the Metro bus system to find your
way to fun, teen-friendly locations and activities all
across the city.
Take in the best of Seattle and Tacoma’s attractions as
we find our way on easy to use, safe and inexpensive
public transportation through Pike Place Market, down-
town Seattle, Tacoma’s Ruston Way, Seattle’s South
Lake Union, Alki Beach, Seattle Center and the Seattle
waterfront.
Explore the best spots to chill with friends that are
ABSOLUTELY FREE!
Over the course of the week we will:
Rent bikes and cruise Alki Beach
Walk the Seattle waterfront and ride the Big Wheel
Take a cooking class at HipCooks on South Lake Un-
ion
Eat our way through the Pike Place Market
Ride the Ducks like we are crazy tourists
Travel on Seattle’s historic Monorail
Knock down pins at West Seattle Bowl
Discover how fun Tacoma’s new Ruston Way can be
for hanging with friends
Kick back and take in a good movie in a state of the
art theater
And who knows what else we might explore!
A Ticket to the City
A Hero’s Journey for Boys
MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY
Team-building
activities
Form groups
Camp in Olympic
National Park
Camp in Olympic
National Park
Camp in Olympic
National Park
Purification cere-
mony (hot spring
or sweatlodge)
Ending celebra-
tion /dinner with
parents, girls
group, mentors
Would you like to experience an epic adventure of
self-discovery? This program is a professionally fa-
cilitated boys rite of passage course offered in con-
junction with a similar course for females.
The week begins and ends with both groups partici-
pating together. Early activities will include team-
building, physical and/or sensory challenges, and
group talking circles. Students will self-select their
preferred gender group for the week’s activities
until we reunite at the end of the week.
We will travel to the Olympic National Park beach,
then hike into a camping location where we will set
up a group camp for Tuesday through Thursday.
An optional component is a twelve hour solo
“Vision Fast” where students are challenged to stay
up from sunset to sunrise, skip dinner and engage
in this original form of initiation into adulthood.
The activity is monitored by trained staff.
The group returns Friday for purification in a
hotspring or sweat lodge ceremony.. Joining us will
be the girls group, families, guides and mentors as
students share their experiences.
This is not a typical backpacking/hiking trip. Physi-
cal, social and/or psychological boundaries will be
intentionally explored. Conversation may venture
into uncomfortable, sensitive or difficult topics. If
you prefer to avoid risks,, we suggest you choose a
different Exploratory program.
Questions about course content should be directed
to Nicky Wilks or Alex Craighead at
Fee: $200.00
Alex Craighead and Nicky Wilks
MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY
Team-building
activities
Form groups
Camp in Olympic
National Park
Camp in Olympic
National Park
Camp in Olympic
National Park
Purification cere-
mony (hot spring
or sweatlodge)
Ending celebra-
tion /dinner with
parents, girls
group, mentors
Would you like to experience an epic adventure of
self-discovery? This program is a professionally fa-
cilitated female rite of passage course offered in
conjunction with a similar course for males.
The week begins and ends with both groups partici-
pating together. Early activities will include team-
building, physical and/or sensory challenges, and
group talking circles. Students will self-select their
preferred gender group for the week’s activities
until we reunite at the end of the week.
We will travel to the Olympic National Park beach,
then hike into a camping location where we will set
up a group camp for Tuesday through Thursday.
An optional component is a twelve hour solo
“Vision Fast” where students are challenged to stay
up from sunset to sunrise, skip dinner and engage
in this original form of initiation into adulthood.
The activity is monitored by trained staff.
The group returns Friday for purification in a
hotspring or sweat lodge ceremony.. Joining us will
be the boys group, families, guides and mentors as
students share their experiences.
This is not a typical backpacking/hiking trip. Physi-
cal, social and/or psychological boundaries will be
intentionally explored. Conversation may venture
into uncomfortable, sensitive or difficult topics. If
you prefer to avoid risks,, we suggest you choose a
different Exploratory program.
Questions about course content should be directed
A Hero’s Journey for Girls
Fee: $200.00
Jacqui Lown and Letitia Reason
MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY
Seattle!
Pike Place Mar-
ket
Seattle Water-
front
Sculpture
Garden
Vashon!
Forests
Farms
Friends
FUN!
Seattle!
South Lake Un-
ion
MOHAI
Center for
Wooden Boats
Gibson Gallery
Vashon!
Encaustics work-
shop
Tacoma!
Point Defiance:
Gardens
Zoo
Aquarium
This is an amazing opportunity to build your tech-
nical and aesthetic abilities as a photographer. You
are living in an era where EVERYTHING (literally) is
documented visually through photographs. Wheth-
er or not you consider yourself an “artist”, you are
creating visual information every day. In this ex-
ploratory you will immerse yourself in photog-
raphy, learning how to get the best shots and be at
the top of your photographic game.
As we travel around Seattle and Tacoma, you will
gain confidence taking photographs in the field and
grow independence that comes with navigating a
city. You will experience taking photographs of
subjects foreign and familiar and learn how good
camera skills can serve you throughout your life.
RAY PFORTNER is a professional photographer
who can mentor you as a student artist and help
determine opportunities for continues study. He
will show how your love of photography can trans-
form into a future career.
You will learn and explore:
Camera handling and settings
Composition, image design and honing your
“eye”
Selecting are work for an audience
Advanced encaustic techniques
Your work will be featured at a public gallery show
on Vashon.
The Magic of Photography
Fee: $200.00
Ray Pfortner (local photography legend) and
Pam Bigatel (art teacher)
MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY
Travel to Duthie Hill
for skills and instruc-
tion
Ride Duthie
Ride Swan Creek Ride Black Diamond
Ride Henry’s Ridge
Ride Raging River
Ride Tiger Mountain
Dockton Forest to
apply our new and
improved skills on
bike-specific trails
A little maintenance
Barbecue to Dock-
ton Park to cele-
brate our week
This week is dedicated to growth. During
the week you will have the opportunity to
progress on your journey to attaining epic
mountain biking awesomeness. You will
work on technical skills relating to corner-
ing, jumps, drops, balance, navigating roots
and rocks, braking, shifting, and body posi-
tion. We’ll play skill-building bike games
and session different features. You will also
learn about stewardship, trail maintenance
and riding etiquette.
Each day we will meet at school and travel
to our day’s riding destination . We will re-
turn to the school in the afternoon. To get
the most out of this Exploratory opportuni-
ty, you should love mountain biking and be
serious about improving your skills. It will
help if you have taken the Mountain Biking
elective.
Mountain biking is a fun and rewarding life-
long activity. Surrounded by beauty and
fresh air, mountain bikers play with the
landscape and push themselves to constant-
ly improve with grit, heart and joy.
Play in the Dirt:
A Mountain Biking Adven-
Fee: $200.00
Larry Dubois
Vashon to Vantage:
A Cycling Adventure
SAT./SUN. MONDAY TUES./WED. THURSDAY FRIDAY
Leave McMurray
Camp west of
Issaquah
Issaquah to
North Bend
Camp
Waskowicz
Iron Horse Rail
Trail
Through the
Snoqualmie Tun-
nel
Camp east of the
mountains
Cycle eastern
Washington
Camp Flying
Horseshoe Ranch
Cle Elum to El-
lensburg
Overnight in
Ellensburg
Cycle old El-
lensburg to Van-
tage Highway.
Camp Wanapum
State Park on the
Columbia River
Breakfast out to
celebrate our
cycling accom-
plishments
Connect with
transportation
home
Fee: $200.00
Frank Daniels
On our 7 day, 6 night bicycle trip from Vashon
to Vantage, you will build your social skills
(working together, doing your part), self-
discipline, perseverance, goal-setting, bicycle
maintenance, meal planning and preparation,
camping skills, and enjoying life “one pedal at a
time”.
During our adventure we will:
Carry our own gear
Prepare most of our own meals
Sleep in tents
Pedal TWO HUNDRED MILES
Maintain our bikes
Build self-confidence
Gain a sense of accomplishment and per-
sonal abilities
Build independence and self-reliance
Overcome challenges
Develop an appreciation for the outdoors
So come take a risk, stretch your horizons, join
us for an incredible adventure You will be glad
you did.
DO NOT FILL OUT THIS FORM UNTIL YOU HAVE RECEIVED YOUR
PROGRAM ASSIGNMENT AT YOUR STUDENT-LED CONFERENCE AND
YOU ARE REQUESTING FINANCIAL AID.
Student Name ___________________________________________________________
Assigned Program ________________________________________________________
Scholarship Amount requested* $_______________
My child is on the free/reduced lunch plan Yes No
Please list the Exploratory Week program to which you child was assigned and the
amount of financial assistance you are requesting. *We ask that you pay a portion of the
fee, if possible. A full scholarship may be requested if necessary.
Scholarship requests are NOT a factor in program assignments.
If you have questions regarding scholarships, please contact 8th grade counselor Carolyn
Zike at 206-463-8619 [email protected] or Gates Johnson at 206-463-8612 gjohn-
Return completed form to McMurray School (9329 SW Cemetery Road, Vashon, WA
98070) or fax to 206-463-9707 or scan and email to [email protected]
Parent Signature ________________________________________________________
Parent email or phone____________________________________________________
Scholarship Application
Exploratory Week 2018
Completed form due April 1st
