Middle school students recently had the opportunity to work on building leadership skills in an on campus workshop with consultant Mike Weber. The day was designed to empower the Middle School students to plan activities and build community by working together. Weber’s goal was for students to recognize the value and challenge of working together. Ultimately, students’ skills were put to the test as the eighth graders embarked on a three-day, two-night wilderness experience of hiking and camping on the Appalachian Trail September 25-27. The trip was an inaugural event that will hopefully become a component of the Middle School curriculum for years to come. On the outing, students worked to achieve many goals, including class unity, personal development, and care of and appreciation for the environment.
The students set foot to ground as they hiked from Salisbury, Connecticut into the woods to Mount Riga and Sages Ravine. During day hikes, they enjoyed trails of varying difficulties, including the gradual and scenic journey to Bald Knob and conquering the steep rock face of Bear Mountain. “The Appalachian Trail hike was a great success,” says Dean of Students Josh Collins ’95. “The boys even talked about completing the entire 2,190 miles from Georgia to Maine someday.”
A few highlights of the trip included eating freeze dried “boil in the bag” dinners, jumping off rocks on the trail, climbing rock scrambles, and rock jumping in the streams. As part of the education curriculum, students learned about wilderness safety as they pumped creek water through a filter and stored their food and toiletries in a bear box or bag. They carried all of their food in, ate what they brought, and were very careful not to leave any food bits behind.
“The overall goal of this trip was to bond with each other, to learn about being environmentally responsible and safe in the wilderness, and to grow as individuals,” says Collins. “Some felt challenged by the physical exertion of the trip, some were confronted with food they have never eaten before, and others grew in their ability to be positive and productive members of a group. No matter what the obstacle, everyone returned having learned about themselves, growing as individuals, and knowing how to work as a team.”