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Fall
1951

B&N teacher Gibby Graves '27 takes a group of 8th graders to Maine for the inaugural Bivouac program

January
1974

The two schools merge to become Buckingham 

Browne & Nichols

Fall
1975

Bivouac moves from Spruce Ledge in Maine to Camp Marienfeld in New Hampshire

Fall
1980

Bivouac runs concurrently for all genders for the first time since going

co-ed in 1975

Fall
2001

Bivouac celebrates its 50th anniversary

Bivouac

The Bivouac program has been part of the BB&N experience for more than 70 years. A shared "uncommon experience" that serves as a 9th grade orientation and a way to integrate new students into the high school community, the program "challenges students to assume new responsibilities and take ownership of their actions while living and learning together."

A black and white photo of students and a teacher at Bivouac, sitting at a long picnic table outside. The students are all working on projects, perhaps whittling. In the background is the Guide's Kitchen, a wooden building with open sides. There are trees in the background behind the building.
A pen drawing with cross-hatched shading; along the bottom edge in pen, from left to right, it reads "Guide's Kitchen — Wieland — Spruce Ledge." The drawing shows the inside of the Guide's Kitchen at Bivoauc, a wooden structure with open sides. In the foreground are two picnic tables, with four people sitting at the one on the right. To the left along the back wall of the building is a cabinet holding jars. Where the back wall of the building would be, the open side shows trees in the background.

Above: on the left, students work at one of the picnic tables at Spruce Ledge, with the guide's kitchen visible behind, 1972; on the right, a drawing of the inside of the same guide's kitchen by former faculty member Sandy Wieland, also 1972.

 

For the first 22 years, Bivouac took place at Spruce Ledge, located near Temple, Maine. Spruce Ledge was owned by Gilbert "Gibby" Graves, a Browne & Nichols faculty member and alumnus from the Class of 1927. In 1951, Gibby founded the program and ran it for the first several years before his colleague Alan Sturgis joined him in 1953. In 1954, Bivouac was put on hold when a decision was made to shift the program from 8th grade to 9th grade; the following year, the polio epidemic necessitated another year without Bivouac, but the fourth Bivouac took place successfully in 1956 with a group of 9th grade students. The program continued at Spruce Ledge through the Fall of 1974.

A black and white photograph of a lean-to situated among trees. The lean-to is made with thin logs tied together, and cloth or tarps draped over the top. Under the lean-to a student sits at a picnic table, with his back facing the camera.
A color image of a lean-to in the woods at Bivouac. Sleeping bags are draped over the poles of the lean-to, and clothes are hanging up to dry at the back of the structure. Under the lean-to, two students are attempting to build a fire, with one watching while the other leans down to blow. Smoke is rising up from the firepit.

Above: on the left, a student sits at a table in the Spruce Ledge camp, 1972; on the right, two students set a fire in their shelter at the first Camp Marienfeld Bivouac, 1975. 

 

The merger in 1974 brought two major changes to Bivouac. The first one, naturally, was that Bivouac would now be co-ed, but there were concerns about bringing students of multiple genders on the same trip. The solution in those early post-merger years was to hold separate programs for boys and girls, and this set-up lasted until 1980, when Bivouac was finally run concurrently for all genders. 

​

Below: an article from the November 1979 issue of The Vanguard addressing the upcoming co-ed decision.

A newspaper clipping from the Vanguard. The headline reads "Will Bivouac go coed?", and the article is written by Sharon Benjamin and Janie Fliegel '83. On the left of the text is a black and white photograph with the caption: "Science teacher Byron Bowman demonstrates to Amelia Ames '96 the proper technique for splitting a log during the 1992 Bivouac."

The second major change was in location: in Fall 1975, Bivouac moved from Spruce Ledge to Camp Marienfeld, located near Chesham, New Hampshire. Bivouac has been held at Camp Marienfeld ever since, and the camp is now a familiar and beloved space for BB&N alumni and Upper School students. 

A color photograph of teacher Hunt Dowse with three students. All of them are looking in a large wooden olive-green chest, which holds some sort of equipment that is too deep in the chest to be in full view of the camera. They are standing in an open area of field, but trees are visible in the far background.
A color photo of six female-presenting students standing together and posing for the camera. Some of them have backpacks on, and they are standing in front of a flat trailer on wheels, which holds rolled up tents and other items.

Above: on the left, Hunt Dowse '65 (Bivouac staff member and director from 1963-1987) shows three students the contents of a Wangan box, 1975; on the right, a group of students gather in front of their packs, 1975.

 

The program staff expanded over the years. Gibby Graves and Alan Sturgis were joined in 1963 by Hunt Dowse '65, who had gone on his own Bivouac in 1961. When Alan retired after 25 years as director in 1979, Hunt took over and served in the position until 1987. Bob O'Brien, better known to students as "OB", joined the staff cohort in 1977, became co-director in 1981, and continued in the role until 2009. Bivouac is now led by director David Strodel '78, who brings his own 1974 Bivouac experience to the program.

​

Below, left to right: Gibby Graves '27, Alan Sturgis, Hunt Dowse '65, Bob O'Brien, David Strodel '78

A black and white photo of Gibby Graves '27. He is sitting at his kitchen table with his back to the camera, turning to look over his right shoulder and smile at the camera. Behind his table is a window wit ha plaid curtain pulled to the left side.
A black and white photo of Alan Sturgis. He is wearing a plaid shirt with a small check pattern, and has a pipe in his mouth. He is sitting in front of a bookshelf.
A black and white photo of Hunt Dowse '65. He is standing outside, and smiling toward the left of the camera. He is wearing a vertically striped shirt and a dark tie with widely spaced white polkadots.
A black and white photo of Bob O'Brien, wearing a shirt and tie and facing the camera with a slight smile. He is standing in front of a chalkboard with equations written on it.
A color photo of David Strodel '78. He is sitting in a theater seat smiling at the camera, and is wearing a blue shirt and red patterned tie, with a navy blue zippered fleece vest over them.
David Strodel on Bivouac
00:00 / 03:39

Press play to hear Bivouac Director David Strodel '78 discuss the program, and scroll through the following slideshow of photos from Bivouac over the last 50 years. Find a transcription of this audio clip at the link here. ​

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