This high school sends students hiking instead of a regular detention — and it actually works

Morse High School in Bath, Maine, is rewriting the age-old, outdated rulebook on student discipline. Well, unlike regular detentions, Leslie Trundy, the school counselor, has a surprising way to punish them. According to Maine Public Radio's June 18th report, children detained for misbehavior or any violation are asked to go on a hike — a wise alternative to the tried, tested, and failed 'detention' method.

At Morse, whenever a student does something 'unruly,' they are given a choice between either sitting idly in the class or spending their detention hiking after school. Leslie Trundy, the school counselor, came up with this initiative after attending an education conference. Her takeaway? Spending time in nature would encourage the kids to open up to her about the problems they might be facing. "My hope was that time in the woods, like I could sort of take the skills that I have on the road with them or on the trail and be a listener for them and pay back the time to the school and sort of serve their consequence. But also [help them] receive more care and attention," she explained. However, the journey of introducing the program wasn't so easy.

Trudy shared that she received criticism from people who thought taking kids on a walk outside wasn't the most ideal way of punishing them for misconduct. Besides, some parents even refused to allow their kids to participate in the "outdoor outing club," aka hiking program. Interestingly, some students, like Wyatt Wells, who have served multiple detention hikes, have now begun joining the venture voluntarily. Likewise, Nicholas Tanguay, detained for yelling at his teacher, confessed, "I think that maybe it's also good for people's mental health. I mean, in general, nature and hikes are just really good for people's mentality."

Instead of harsh punishments like corporal penalties, such hiking experience can actually benefit the children on so many different levels. According to the National Library of Medicine, studies have discovered that physical punishments, in fact, are linked to a higher risk of negative developmental outcomes in kids. Meanwhile, when an anonymous individual (u/guanaco55) shared about this one-of-a-kind initiative by Morse High School on Reddit, many admired it, calling it a great alternative to traditional punishments. For instance, reacting to the post, a user who goes by u/backitupwithlinks on the platform commented, "This is a fantastic idea! Detention is such a waste of everyone’s time." u/pikey87ps3 wrote, "Very good idea! Kids need exercise quite frankly..."

Similarly, another person who goes by u/sparseghostc2c shared, "As someone who did my fair share of detention back in high school, this is a f****** fantastic idea. Quite honestly, half of my detentions were for skipping class or for running around at Fort Williams. Make 'Nature Appreciation' an elective class and watch a good chunk of the 'troublemakers' turn it around right quick." On the other hand, u/therondon101 said, "This is a phenomenal idea. Kids need exercise and outlets, and any time away from phones/social media/everything else and in nature is good. Just look at what the kids are saying. They are finding it beneficial and finding ways to deal with issues, finding themselves, and feeling accomplished. These are huge for young people and should be encouraged. Another day, another awesome thing Maine is doing."