Outdoor Working Lab

A Mission-Driven Space for All

Being immersed in nature can positively impact your brain performance and well-being.

That’s why we intentionally integrate our mountain and 600-acre campus into all aspects of our program. Thanks to a generous gift from the Chiang Family (Michelle Chiang ’19), IMS recently built a net-zero, environmentally-focused outdoor research classroom at the base of our mountain that honors our belief in the power of nature on the brain.

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The Outdoor Working Lab, or the “OWL,” as we like to call it, not only facilitates our commitment to environmental stewardship through our curricula, it serves as a community and gathering space. While students can study data from our new solar array and analyze biological matter in the wet lab, they also attend and perform in outdoor concerts on the sitting deck or enjoy evening fire pits. It’s safe to say that the OWL has quickly become a favorite spot on campus.

A 'Net-Zero' Building

Our new 1,500-square-foot structure, located beyond the athletic fields toward the base of the mountain, is powered by renewable energy through our solar array, which was generously donated by IMS alumni. Inside the OWL, the line separating classroom and nature is blurred. In this setting, reading and discussing a book in English class becomes a transformative experience. Science classes have direct access to test and analyze collected rain water or materials from our ponds. Outdoor community spaces allow our students to spend quality time with friends. Year-round, it allows our students in Pre-K through Grade 9 to learn, become inspired, practice mindfulness, explore, play, and grow.