Risk Management

Since its inception, CRMS has been recognized as a pioneer in the academic community for the manner in which adventurous pursuits have been utilized as a tool in educating our students. As part of our mission to help individuals discover their potential and become exemplary citizens, we have found that providing opportunities for our students to encounter personal success as well as experience failure has been instrumental in creating life-changing, authentic learning.

Preparing for college and the world beyond occurs through the essential feedback generated with the help of direct experience. More specifically, this critical growth process is fostered when students are encouraged to take developmentally appropriate chances and put themselves out there, physically, socially, emotionally. As participants in our dynamic active curriculum, students will be living and learning in the outdoors throughout the year. These encounters are wonderfully challenging and rewarding. At CRMS there is an underlying conviction among us all that the benefits of venturing into uncertain territory with a mentor or guide yields precisely the holistic developmental gains that are needed in this world.

Understanding our conception of risk is essential in appreciating the education that occurs in the many programs at CRMS. Risk can be understood as the potential to lose something of value. Jed Williamson informs us that “what we need to re­member is that our motivation for risk is to gain something of value—good health, self-confidence, recognition, spiritual growth, money, friends, relationships, career move, whatever it might be. But in short, it comes out to a life worth living.”

At CRMS, these motivations, or benefits, of taking risks—in the outdoors, for example—are varied. They include an emerging ability to manage oneself and make decisions, to learn to manage one’s thoughts and feelings (i.e., impulsivity, fear, bravado, etc.), to learn to manage one’s physical body during a time of maturation and physical exercise, and to learn about personal judgment, being part of a team, etc.

A vital dimension of risk that is well understood and managed with excellence at CRMS is the notion of inherent risk. Inherent risk is the type of risk that is a natural part of conducting an activity. The inherent risk of driving to the grocery store, for example, is that one will collide with another vehicle. If one is to drive to the grocery store, this essential possibility must be confronted. With knowledge and planning, the inherent risks of activities can be managed and practices can be put into place to respond appropriately to the risk. If asked, "Why not eliminate risk from your programs altogether?" CRMS faculty would remind the inquirer that eliminating the risk associated with an activity would transform the experience into something entirely different. That is, we endeavor in the outdoors in large part because of the risk—because of the developmental benefits that await us in those rich moments.

CRMS takes immense pride in the heritage and the excellence that inform its active curriculum. Our faculty who are involved in the active curriculum are all trained and certified in wilderness medicine. We work diligently to ensure that our practices in the Outdoor Program and within our sports reflect contemporary and accepted practices in the field. The school has been fully accredited by the Association for Experiential Education since 2006, and remains a member of this leading organization.

To reiterate, CRMS cannot assure students' safety or eliminate said inherent risks. CRMS students and their parents must understand that students share in the responsibility for their own well-being and the well-being of others in the program. Students and their parents are required to sign, in addition to other forms, an Acknowledgment and Assumption of Risks and Release of Indemnity Agreement form (http://www.crms.org/uploaded-files/PDFs/IdemnityForm.pdf), before participating in our programs. Please review this release form or contact us for additional information about activities, associated risks, and student and parent responsibilities.