Learning Outside the Classroom

Learning Outside the Classroom (LOTC) is a hallmark of the University School experience. We believe the Lowcountry is our classroom, and students in every grade spend one day per week away from campus having experiences that challenge and inspire them. This entails over 30 field trips per year to experience everything from live theatre to landfills and plantations to museums.

In addition, we welcome many guest speakers and performers to our campus throughout the year. We enjoy hearing from elected officials and candidates, as well as members of our community with unique stories to share, and the performances range from science-based action to dance.

By clicking on many of the LOTCs below, you’ll be linked to a blog post featuring reflections written by our students about the most meaningful aspects of their experience. You can also visit our blog for reflections on LOTCS from prior years!

2017-2018 LOTC, Guest Speaker, & Performance Schedule

August 23: Charleston Krav Maga

August 30: Charleston Krav Maga, Red Cross First Aid/CPR/AED Training, Career Exploration Session with Russell Horres from MUSC

September 6: Red Cross First Aid/CPR/AED Training

September 13: Hurricane Irma Clean Up &  Annual Cookie Baking & Delivery

September 20-22: IS Trip – Barrier Island Environmental Education Program on Seabrook Island

September 20: The Center for Birds of Prey

September 27: Shem Creek exploration by land (IS) & kayak (MS/US)

September 29: Mayhem Poets at The Gaillard Center

October 4: Hosted Performance at 10 a.m. – Pacific Islands Dance Arts of the Carolinas

October 5: Mount Pleasant Mayoral Candidate Forum, presented by the League of Women Voters

October 9: Special evening LOTC – “Behind the Scenes Tour” of the American College of Building Arts

October 11: Challenge Island STEAM Activity & Guest Speaker – Mayor Linda Page

October 18: 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation – Faith Exploration at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church and Stella Maris Roman Catholic Church

October 21: Family Service Opportunity – Isle of Palms Beach Sweep, 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

October 25: Brookgreen Gardens

November 1: To Kill a Mockingbird at the Dock Street Theatre; Guest Speaker – Town Council member and 2017 mayoral candidate Will Haynie

November 2: Othello at The Gaillard Center

November 4: Classics Day at the College of Charleston

November 7: Election Day Exit Polling

November 10 & 11: YALLFest

November 15: Georgetown Rice Museum and Hampton Plantation

November 17: Trident United Way’s Annual Day of Caring

November 21: IS to see the movie Wonder (after reading the book)

November 29: Hosted Performance at 10 a.m. – The Plantation Singers

December 6: Jazz Through the Ages with Charlton Singleton at The Gaillard Center

December 7: Pearl Harbor Memorial Ceremony on the USS Yorktown

December 13: Medical University of South Carolina

December 15 : Gaillard Center–The Nutcracker (featuring one of USL’s own!)

December 21: Faiths and Cultural Celebrations–Church of Jesus Christ-Latter Day Saints and Mother Emanuel AME Church

January 18: Hosted Performance at 10 a.m. – The Fabulous Chinese Acrobats

February 12: Harriet Tubman at The Gaillard Center

February 16: Southeastern Wildlife Exposition (SEWE)

February TBD: Joint Base Charleston’s Tuskegee Airmen program

April 10: Hosted Performance at 10 a.m. – African Dance and Drum Troupe

April 18: Shakespeare in Love at the Dock Street Theatre

Date TBD: Sweetgrass Village Assisted Living Easter Egg Hunt

Date TBD: Spring Service Day & Bee City Buddy-Buddy Trip with Pinehurst Elementary