When Lowell Whiteman started what is now the Steamboat Mountain School in the 1950s, he had a vision that preparation for college should mean more than just the challenge of academics.

He believed classroom studies should be paired with experiential learning — found in the outdoors and through trips to foreign countries — as a key toward transforming the lives of students by providing them with the skills needed to lead their best lives.

Addressing the Steamboat Mountain School Class of 2024 at their graduation ceremony Sunday morning under a tent packed with hundreds of family members and friends, Head of School Samantha Coyne Donnel lauded the 22 graduating seniors for embracing Whiteman’s mission and “adventure in its many forms.”

The head of school noted the journey to graduation for the school’s seniors began during the pandemic, when building relationships with peers involved navigating the concept of social distancing while wearing masks and interacting through plexiglass barriers.

Sitting stage right at the ceremony Sunday morning, this year’s Steamboat Mountain School graduates included aspiring musicians and creatives, diplomats, aeronautical engineers and future division collegiate Nordic and Alpine skiers.

Others sat with plans to serve in the U.S. Army, become entrepreneurs or pursue careers in advocacy and social justice. They will enroll in institutes of higher education such as Northeastern University, Swathmore College, the University of Alabama and George Washington University.

Diverse in their passions and visions for the future, Donnel said the graduates shared in the “unconditional support and love” received from their family members, and from the unique experiences and inspiration fostered by Steamboat Mountain School faculty members.

With an emphasis on promoting experiential learning, Donnel noted how each faculty member is responsible for leading weekend outdoor activities and “month-long excursions requiring grit and fortitude” centered on a goal to leave graduates “poised to succeed at the next level.”

Gina Wither and Alyna Heartz led one such excursion in March when the teachers and 14 of this year’s graduates travelled to Cambodia. The itinerary saw the students travel from the country’s bustling capital city, Phnom Penh, to a rural island on the Mekong River where they lived with local families without the comforts of electricity and running water.

They learned about Cambodia’s civil war in the 1970s, and met with a Nobel Peace Prize winner and a former Khmer Rouge fighter who have dedicated their lives to removing the millions of land mines left in the wake of the conflict. They visited memorials to those lost in a genocide committed by Khmer Rouge forces during the war that led to the disappearances and deaths of an estimated 1.5 to 3 million Cambodians.

Throughout the trip, Heartz and Wither said they were impressed over how their students adapted to different situations and shifted their perspectives as they learned about a new culture.

Delivering the Steamboat Springs Mountain School commencement address Sunday, Sergio Cilli from Class of 1998, spoke to the importance for members of the graduating class to continue the practice of adapting through experience.

An award-winning director and writer, Cilli credited his education at the Steamboat Mountain School for giving him his life’s passion. However, he cautioned this year’s graduates over focusing too much on specific career results.

Cilli noted that what he dreamed of when he graduated from high school and what he ended up accomplishing in his career “were very different” because he focused more on how he felt about his work and less on the specific goals he wanted to achieve.

“When I graduated, the internet was barely a thing, so if someone had told me, ‘You are going to make your break making YouTube videos,’ I would have said, ‘I don’t know what that is!'” Cilli said. “We were barely even recycling back then, you guys. Wild times.”

Moving forward, Cilli encouraged the Class of 2024 to “stay creative” and to follow their instincts.

“All I am saying is that there are unchartered waters ahead for you. So, with your hearts and confidence, please enjoy the journey.”