When students step into Mr. Alex Lyttle’s Grade 6 and 7 science classes, they walk into a room shaped by rivers, mountains, and miles of open sky. His teaching is rooted in years spent on trails, sleeping under the stars, and watching young people discover what they can do when they stretch beyond comfort and venture into the wild.

Lyttle began his journey at Plymouth State University in New Hampshire, drawn by a unique bachelor of science program in adventure education. As a student, he worked with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), a name known well among backcountry enthusiasts. Soon, he found himself crisscrossing the country, leading programs through universities and nonprofits. His work with Boojum in California brought him into contact with students from around the world, from nearby Los Angeles to as far east as South Korea.

His programs took on two different shapes: base camp trips and backcountry expeditions. Base camp adventures meant climbing, kayaking, hiking, cooking under the open sky, and returning to tents each evening.

Backcountry trips, however, were a different kind of challenge altogether. Each morning began with packing tents and loading backpacks before navigating new terrain. Students learned resilience, grit, and independence, not because they were asked to, but because the trail required it. Students who participated in these trips came away with a deep appreciation for outdoor living, the landscapes they traversed, and themselves.

After leading programs with organizations like Project USE in New Jersey, Lyttle moved on to Proctor Academy, serving as co-leader of the school’s remarkable “Mountain Classroom.” Each year, he led two groups of ten students on 10-week journeys, first from New Hampshire to California through Mississippi, Texas, and Mexico, and then in the spring from California through Utah, the Grand Canyon, Colorado, and Native American reservations in South Dakota.

The culminating experience? Students planned their own weeklong expedition, while Lyttle kept watch from a distance, lending a hand or offering guidance only when needed.

Following this unforgettable year, he guided private trips professionally. But as the pandemic shuttered travel and outdoor leadership programs, he shifted unexpectedly into construction, building a dozen homes and garnering a new set of real-world skills along the way.

His return to education included an interim role at Project USE, where he crossed paths with The Pennington School for the first time. Faculty members Rick Ritter and Erin O’Connell contracted with his organization to utilize their facilities at the Wildcat Mountain Wilderness Center for a Peer Leader retreat. Shortly after that fortuitous meeting, Mr. Lyttle returned to California to lead, among other programs, a 26-day High Sierra trek with the Athenian School. Only after that final wilderness chapter was closed did Lyttle arrive at Pennington, late in the summer of 2021 to begin a new adventure: teaching indoors.

Despite spending so much time within the four walls of his classroom, Lyttle sees no barrier to discovery: “Nature does the work for you. Once outside, kids observe, and I insert my expertise as needed.”

In his classroom, trout swim in tanks. Students wade into streams to study ecology or observe drifting cloud patterns to learn about weather systems. Lyttle’s goal goes beyond content mastery; he aims to build confidence, curiosity, and problem-solving abilities within each student. Ultimately, Lyttle believes that learning should feel alive.

True to form, Lyttle continues to run wilderness programs for Pennington students. Recent trips include a six-day backpacking expedition in New Mexico for seniors and a Utah base-camp experience for Middle School students. He maintains numerous certifications for outdoor leadership, and Pennington will continue to benefit from his expertise as new and exciting opportunities are always in development! 

Outside his teaching and trip-planning responsibilities, Lyttle serves as dorm head and Grade 6 class dean. His wife and nearly-three-year-old daughter accompany him on life’s trail, boots laced, ready for what comes next.

In a world where learning often remains inside, Alex Lyttle reminds us that science, confidence, and wonder thrive best under open skies. With him, students learn not only how ecosystems work, but how adventure shapes people, how challenges build character, and how growth begins when we step just beyond the trailhead.