Introducing Our High School Clubs

Whether your prospective student club members are seasoned outdoor enthusiasts, or trying out activities for the first time, Trailblazer Outdoor Clubs provide the framework for high schools to create their own outdoor club, suited to their experience.

Engaging in outdoor learning experiences connects students with North Carolina’s nature and outdoor learning experiences can offer the ability to learn new hands-on skills, develop leadership and teambuilding potential, and make friends that have similar interests!

Trailblazer Outdoor Clubs in the inaugural 2023-2024 academic year will have exclusive access to grant funds, that can be used to fund field trips or to purchase supplies, such as camping, archery, or fishing equipment.

Please be advised that the application window for the 2023-2024 academic has now closed. If you have missed the application window, or if your school is unsuccessful in securing funding this first year, we will be reopening the application at a later date for the 2024-2025 academic year. 

Inaugural Trailblazer Outdoor Clubs:

We are very pleased to announce the successful applicants to the inaugural year of the Trailblazer Outdoor Clubs program.

We had an overwhelmingly positive response to the grant application, which opened January 31st and closed April 17th. We received 84 fantastic applications from schools and are excited to be able to fund an additional 9 schools – increasing our inaugural clubs from 25 to 34.

Selecting schools for the inaugural year was not a decision process taken lightly, each application was individually evaluated to examine a range of factors, including geographic diversity, student need, potential impact, and applicant outdoor experience.

What if my school was not selected? We know this will be disappointing news but remind applicants that this is but the inaugural year in this new program. The application window will re-open next calendar year for the 2024/2025 school year, when we hope to add many more clubs and expand our range of impact.

Until then be sure to check out our Go Outside (GO) Grant program! We accept applications on a rolling basis.

Presenting our Trailblazer Outdoor Clubs for 2023-2024:

1.       Alexander Central High School, Alexander County

2.       Ashe County High School, Ashe County

3.       A.C. Reynolds High School, Buncombe County

4.       Enka High School, Buncombe County

5.       Franklin School of Innovation, Buncombe County

6.       North Buncombe High School, Buncombe County

7.       Cox Mill High School, Cabarrus County

8.       Croatan High School, Carteret County

9.       Woods Charter School, Chatham County

10.   Thomasville High School, Davidson County

11.   Hillside High School, Durham County

12.   John F. Kennedy High School, Forsyth County

13.   Robbinsville High School, Graham County

14.   Greene Central High School, Greene County

15.   Triton High School, Harnett County

16.   Agriculture and Science Early College, Iredell County

17.   McDowell Early College, McDowell County

18.   Franklin High School, Macon County

19.   Bradford Preparatory School, Mecklenburg County

20.   Charlotte Lab School, Mecklenburg County

21.   Mitchell High School, Mitchell County

22.   Southeast Area Technical (SEA-Tech) High School, New Hanover County

23.   Swansboro High School, Onslow County

24.   Pender Early College High School, Pender County

25.   Red Springs High School, Robeson County

26.   Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy, Rutherford County

27.   Hobbton High School, Sampson County

28.   Scotland Early College High School, Scotland County

29.   South Stanly High School, Stanly County

30.   Elkin High School, Surry County

31.   Vance Charter School, Vance County

32.   Watauga High School, Watauga County

33.   Wayne School of Engineering, Wayne County

34.   Wilkes Early College, Wilkes County