Wilderness Orientation is a fun adventure filled with exploration. Wilderness has been the introductory program of the school since the 1970's - well before it became widely embraced by colleges, universities, and other K-12 schools who have recently created their own versions to orientate students to their communities and provide an important community-oriented transitionary experience for their students. Our program is designed to introduce all new students to the school’s values of respect, responsibility, and excellence through a ten-day backpacking trip. Wilderness Orientation also serves the vital role of creating a shared collective experience through service, teamwork, challenge, and adventure all before the start of the academic school year. The skills taught on Wilderness Orientation not only benefit students on subsequent outdoor adventures but also provide valuable lessons and strategies that will help them better approach everyday life at CRMS and beyond.

Important Information

Click on the links below to review important information about Wilderness.

Wilderness Primer
Wilderness Questionaire
Wilderness Equipment List
Wilderness Q&A blog

Meet your leaders

Daniel Pittz

Modern Language Department Chair, Modern Language Faculty

Daniel Pittz

BA, Spanish Literature, University of Colorado

MEd, Curriculum and Instruction, Arizona State University

MA, Spanish, Universidad de Salamanca and New Mexico State University

Appointed 2004 What do you do on campus? I teach Spanish, level 3, and this…

Eliot Taft

English Faculty

Eliot Taft

BA, English & Environmental Studies, Bowdoin College

Appointed 2019 What do you do on campus? I teach English, and I like to…

Kayo Ogilby

Science Department Chair, Science Faculty,

Kayo Ogilby

BS, Liberal Arts, Evergreen State College

MA, Secondary School Science Education, Columbia University

CRMS Great Teaching Chair in Science 2010/11

Appointed 1996 What do you do on campus? Favorite campus pastimes: Teaching 2 sections of…

Matt Norrdin

English Department Chair, English Faculty

Matt Norrdin

BA, Philosophy, University of Colorado

Appointed 2007 What do you do on campus? I chair the English Department, teach Sophomore…

Peter Benedict

Mathematics Faculty, River Program Manager,

Peter Benedict

BA, Outdoor Education, Prescott College

MS, Math Education, Montana State University

Appointed 1998 What do you do on campus? I teach math, Run the River program,…

Robert Rosati

Mathematics Faculty

Robert Rosati

BS, Physics, Northern Arizona University

Appointed 2011 brosati@crms.org

Co-Leaders

Art Jackson

On-Call Responder & Teaching Fellow

Art Jackson

B.S. in University Studies with a Medical Humanities certification, University of Texas at Arlington

Appointed 2022 I graduated in 2021 from the University of Texas at Arlington, obtaining a…

Beth Krasemann

History Faculty

Beth Krasemann

MAT, History - Brown University

BA, History - Williams College

MA, Holocaust and Genocide Studies - Gratz College (in progress)

Appointed 2022 Beth grew up in Portland, Oregon, hitting the Cascade Mountains for adventures in…

Calvin Bates

Arts Faculty

Calvin Bates

BA, Economics - Middlebury College

Appointed 2022 My name is Calvin Bates, I am moving to CMRS after spending a…

Charlotte Oakley

Teaching Fellow

Charlotte Oakley

B.A., Philosophy - Williams College

Appointed 2022 Charlotte was born and raised in Washington DC and recently graduated from Williams…

Clemente De Hoyos

ESOL Academic Support Teacher

Clemente De Hoyos

BS, Neuroscience & Behavioral Biology - Emory University

Appointed 2022 Clemente is a recent graduate from Emory University and acquired a BS in…

Keelan Bozman

Music Faculty

Keelan Bozman

BS, Music - Queens University of Charlotte

BS, Biology - East Carolina University

Appointed 2022 Keelan Bozman is a performer, educator, and outdoor enthusiast. He first started playing…

Volker Krasemann

Science Faculty

Volker Krasemann

BA, MS, Physics - Ernst-Moritz-Arndt Universitat Greifswald (Germany)

MS, Physics - Montana State University

Appointed 2022 Volker is a proud relic of the Cold War. He grew up in…

Wilderness Assistant Volunteers (WAVs)

Chantel Hope

Wilderness Assistant Volunteer

Chantel Hope

CRMS, Class of 2023

Wilderness is about forming the most meaningful connection in the most unexpected, beautiful of places.…

Kai Young

Wilderness Assistant Volunteer

Kai Young

CRMS, Class of 2023

CRMS is unique in that it immediately requests its students to push themselves beyond their…

Luke Baetz

Wilderness Assistant Volunteer

Luke Baetz

CRMS, Class of 2023

Makai Yllanes

Wilderness Assistant Volunteer

Makai Yllanes

CRMS, Class of 2023

I had an amazing wilderness experience. I especially loved sleeping under the stars every night…

Owen Jolles

Wilderness Assistant Volunteer

Owen Jolles

CRMS, Class of 2023

As a WAV I’m excited to embody the CRMS values and tradition of my wilderness…

Wheeler Padgett

Wilderness Assistant Volunteer

Wheeler Padgett

CRMS, Class of 2023

Wilderness is intense, challenging, and demanding – and it’s the most fun you’ll ever have.…