Sophomore Excursion 2026: Courage in Action

Every year, PAA's sophomores head out together for one of the most anticipated traditions in the school, and every year it delivers something unforgettable.

Sophomore Excursion is built around a single, powerful question: what happens when you choose courage? Through a full ropes course experience, students find out. They climb. They leap. They wobble. They breathe through the scary parts. And they do all of it surrounded by classmates who are right there cheering them on, because that is what this class does for each other.

Courage, the sophomore core value, is not just a word at PAA. It is something students are invited to practice in real, tangible ways. The ropes course is designed to put students just outside their comfort zone, which is exactly where growth happens. Some challenges feel impossible until they are not. Some moments of fear turn into moments of genuine pride. That is the whole point.

But Sophomore Excursion has always been about more than the course itself. It is about community. It is about learning who your classmates are when things get hard, and discovering that they are the kind of people who show up for you. Shared experiences like these build friendships and culture that carry a class all the way through to graduation.

Students came home with new confidence, stronger connections, and a little more courage than they left with.

That is exactly what we hoped for. That is Sophomore Excursion. That is PAA.