At Episcopal School of Dallas, we maximize classroom space, both indoors and out, allowing our students to learn through experience and exploration. The Episcopal School of Dallas has developed a large portion of Wolf Run Ranch as an outdoor education center thanks to the generosity and guidance of Pete Gifford of Dallas. Located just outside of Anna, Texas, Wolf Run provides a 300-acre environment for experiences of community. Nature trails, a lake, a low ropes course, two bunk houses, a lodge, an outdoor chapel, and a working ranch create unique opportunities for learning and self-growth for students grades one through twelve.
“Wolf Run is the embodiment of one of our Founding Tenets: Community. The basic goals of all our trips are to learn about ourselves, others and the world around us, as well as to work together, to care for each other,” said Andy Perry, Director of Outdoor Education and Wolf Run.
The outdoor education department, led by Perry and his team, teaches students to use the world as their classroom in subjects including history, science, and literature. Perhaps the most thorough and intensive project is the junior Wolf Run project, an interdisciplinary assignment between the English and History departments. After studying 19th Century American authors, the junior class visits Wolf Run to incorporate their knowledge into written sketches that culminate in a final creative research project. Other major projects include a fourth-grade Texas Native American study and the seventh-grade archaeological dig.
Archaeological digs, class-building activities, overnight retreats, journaling, and biological and ecological testing are only a few of the engaging activities that provide students with opportunities for self-expression and discovery. Plans to expand Wolf Run property used for hikes and outdoor academic projects are currently underway. The school is in the process of expanding academic projects and hiking trails into new areas of the ranch that ESD owns but has not previously used.
Wolf Run Ranch and Outdoor Education Center has been made possible by a generous gift from the Gifford Family. Per Mr. Gifford's wishes, the school has agreed to preserve Wolf Run Ranch "in perpetuity" as an outdoor education center.
