As summer winds down and we prepare to welcome students and educators back this fall, we are reflecting on the incredible journeys, challenges, and growth that unfolded during the 2024-25 school year through the partnership between the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) and Philadelphia Outward Bound School (POBS). From one-day team-building programs to week-long wilderness… READ MORE >
Thinking about rappelling down a skyscraper? We’ve got you covered. Here are answers to the questions first-timers (and their friends, family, and sponsors) ask most often. The Basics What is Building Adventure? Building Adventure is Philadelphia Outward Bound School’s signature fundraiser where you rappel 30 stories (315 feet) down a skyscraper (Two Commerce Square) in… READ MORE >
When 13-year-old Gibran Freeman joined Philadelphia Outward Bound School’s GOAL course this summer, he was continuing a family tradition. Years earlier, his father, Meko, had instructed the very same program, guiding young people through the challenges of backpacking, canoeing, and leadership development. This time, Meko was not the instructor but the proud parent, watching his… READ MORE >
Just before the 2025-26 school year began, more than 100 teachers, administrators, and support staff from Russell Byers Charter School stepped out of the classroom to take on Philadelphia Outward Bound School’s (POBS) aerial team course at the Discovery Center. As part of POBS’ annual Educators Week, Byers staff spent the day in hands-on team… READ MORE >
By Olga Christie Published August 16, 2025 BERNARDSVILLE, NJ – Penny Christie, a student at Bernards High School in Bernardsville, has completed the Outward Bound Backpacking, Canoeing & Leadership Program where students trade screens and schedules for the silence of the woods: a stretch of time meant to strip away comfort and teach what resilience really feels like. Each… READ MORE >
At the Philadelphia Outward Bound School (POBS), we believe in the power of challenge and community to transform lives. Diego Rosario, a student from Northeast High School and a Casey Meyer Brecker Memorial Fund Scholarship Student, has completed three Outward Bound experiences with us: an Insight Day in May 2023, a Backpacking Expedition in October… READ MORE >
Whether on the climbing wall at The Discovery Center or on a natural rock face in the wilderness, rock climbing at Philadelphia Outward Bound School is more than a workout. It is a powerful tool for transformation. The health benefits of rock climbing include increased strength in the arms, legs, and core, improved balance and… READ MORE >
The School District of Philadelphia’s Ninth Grade Academies are designed to ease the transition from middle school to high school for ninth-grade students. Academy objectives are to build peer-to-peer connections and student-staff relationships, get students working together, and pushing through new challenges. As a key partner to these schools, POBS delivers a mix of single-day Insight… READ MORE >