AAPLE students participate in annual small and large group team building that continues the development of their leadership skills, enhances students relationships, and deepens connections with AAPLE staff, parents, and each other. Students work together with their grade level cohort groups on various projects throughout their AAPLE experience intended to build interpersonal interactions, teamwork, organizational and group competencies. Team building enrichment is designed to educate students, build family or community, promote team spirit, and strengthen the bond between the students in the cohort.
El Capitan Canyon Trip
In 9th grade students spend two days at El Capitan Canyon participating in small and large group team building activities. Parent are invited in the evening to hear student reflections and gratitude and to share in a potluck meal of grand proportion.
Canyon leadership and team building programming focuses on self-awareness and development, interpersonal interaction, and gratitude, team building, and group interaction.
Camp Whittier Trip
In 10th-grade, academy students further develop their leadership skills and relational bonds at Camp Whittier by participating in small group and ropes course activities.
Whittier programming is centered on Problem Solving, Decision making, Goal setting, Communication, Gratitude, Self-understanding, Learning and Reasoning competencies.
American Leaders Adventure
After completing AAPLE AP American History and AAPLE AP English 11th grade cohort students take their first intercontinental cohort trip to Philadelphia, Boston, and New York City. Students gain a first hand understanding of American leadership through the eyes of its earliest landmarks, museums, battlefields, and historic sites. After focusing on integrated leadership in curriculum, students apply their learning by literally standing in the footsteps of the great leaders of our country. Students also visit colleges and universities convenient to the itinerary locations.
Rites of Passage Trip
Recently accepted to college and a couple of weeks from the finish line, AAPLE seniors embark on the annual senior rite of passage camping trip on Santa Cruz Island. Team building and leadership activities are centered around reflection, gratitude, and the future. AAPLEs reflect on where they were four years ago, where they are in the present, and where they are going and the amazing experiences that await them. Students assess productive relationships, empowerment of interpersonal contributions, advocating point of view, reflection and application, understanding gratitude, assessing confidence, scope of competence, understanding social identity, evaluating purpose, and closure.