North Manitou Island Campus

Transforming students' lives through place-based outdoor education on the site of the original 1895 North Manitou school.

Follow Our Mission

Beyond Screens, Into Nature

We deliver life-changing experiences for youth by immersing them in nature—far from screens and routines. We embrace the natural and historic richness of North Manitou Island to spark curiosity, ignite a lifelong love for the outdoors, and instill a deep sense of environmental responsibility.

A School Rediscovered

The first school on North Manitou Island was made of logs in 1895 and held 36 students. A new school was built in 1907 with a wood frame and front porch but was shut down in the 1940s as the island's permanent population dwindled. Decades later, when Leland Public School discovered they owned this one-acre property—considered the home of Leland School District's first school—all that still existed was the decaying framework of a one-room schoolhouse.

Fast forward more than 25 years. Nick Seguin, a former first and second grade teacher for Leland who graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in Natural Resources, spends his summers working as a guide for Manitou Island Transit. While hiking on North Manitou Island, Seguin came across the old school site, recognizing it by a crumbling foundation. Intrigued, he began to study plat maps and rediscovered the property deed, realizing that the land still belonged to the Leland School District.

This discovery inspired the formation of the North Manitou Island Project Committee. In cooperation with the National Park Service, Manitou Passage Charters, and Leland Public School, the Committee has been formed to develop LPS's original school property on North Manitou Island—creating a permanent campground and retreat site for place-based, outdoor education experiences.