What is the "Teen Paddle"?


​The Teen Paddle is a week long canoeing expedition geared towards high school students. The program gives teens a chance to practice leadership & teamwork skills as they navigate the river, water quality testing, plant community studies, help with a stewardship project, camping by the riverside and prepare meals together.

Paddlers enjoy a unique, on-the-water experience that features educational programming and builds a strong stewardship ethic for the river and its natural resources. Campers will become immersed in Patuxent River issues and explore their role in solving them and they end the week with a presentation to county and state leaders, friends, and family.

What is the schedule like?

Day 1 of our paddle begins at Patuxent River Park where we will introduce paddle safety and leadership skill building.  Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday will be our over night camping adventure as part of the "marsh life" of the Patuxent River. Campers stay in tents, prepare meals with a gas stove, and have limited running water at most camp sites. Campfires are a nightly event and s'mores are guaranteed. Campers blog about their experiences for loved ones back home to enjoy while they are away and the Friday afternoon presentation at Patuxent River Park for friends, family, and park visitors is a MUST SEE!  
"At the beginning of the first day I was really unsure about how this adventure was going to turn out... We got to go canoeing in the afternoon, and...I was very nervous at first, mostly because I had never been in a canoe, or the [one in charge of steering] one. After much frustration I finally got the hang of it . As my mom drove away, I thought of all the future fun I was going to have."
-Noah, 9th grade, South River HS STEM

Thanks to their leadership training, our paddlers have...

  • Become National Honors Society members
  • Become summer interns
  • Gained self confidence
  • Learned new skills
  • Volunteered with wetland research projects
  • Gained STEM experience for school credit
  • Become more comfortable talking about environmental issues

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Contact Us

Please send any questions you have to [email protected]. In your email, please indicate if you are a student interested in attending the paddle, a parent or guardian inquiring on behalf of your child, or a teacher inquiring on behalf of a student.

Note: Often school issued email addresses are unable to receive outside communications. Consider using a personal email address so that you can receive our response.