An Adventurous Start Back to School
Cabot High School students started out the school year with a three-day leadership retreat at Siskin Ecological Adventures, based at Coutts-Moriarty 4-H camp in Derby, Vermont. Devoted to building a better school community, the trip provided students with opportunities for leadership and allowed for a smooth transition from summer back into the school year.
From August 29 - 31, students confronted challenges such as the high ropes course offered by Siskin, as well as workshops offered by their peers and teachers. James Haugland, the new high school chorus and theatre instructor, dropped by the campfire the first night with a bag of props and improvisation games. The next day, Geof Hewitt, Poetry Slam Master, came for the day to run several workshops on poetry and writing, and to end the day with a phenomenal slam featuring poems by Cabot students and teachers alike.
Retreat facilitator David Schilling says that the retreat was “...far from a ‘summer camp’ experience. The skills learned at an intensive retreat such as this are essential for college and beyond. I firmly believe the Siskin retreat contributes to creating prepared citizens who are better equipped to handle real-world challenges.”
“The purpose of the retreat was to build relationships and visualize the school year in order to make it a great one,” commented Bill Tobin, the high school math teacher. “It went really well and everybody had a great time.”
Time was also spent during the retreat discussing what the students wanted the school year to look like. The high school will be devoting time this year to creating a leadership group that speaks with the combined voices of students and teachers.
“The retreat helped all of us realize we are all human and not just ‘a teacher’ or just ‘a student,’” Ella Malamud, a high school science teacher said. “I got to know the students a little better.”
“It eliminates the awkwardness of the school year,” senior Maelily Robison says. “I personally think the purpose was to help us students have time to catch up with each other, have fun, and help us build the community. Hopefully the school will keep doing this every year.”
Certainly, the retreat was met with almost unanimous approval from students and teachers alike. The workshops that were offered introduced students and teachers to many different skills and games, from Scottish country dancing to a rousing game of Werewolves, a traditional Russian game.
“Everyone was together working in groups to solve problems at school. We also shared the chores equally,” junior Olivia Bellavance said. “I thought the purpose of the trip was to be introduced to the themes and expectations of the year to come.”
When asked her opinion on the retreat, principal Karen Stewart commented that she “...was very impressed with the maturity level of the students. They built relationships and formed a stronger community. It was just a magnificent way to begin a new school year together.”
Students and teachers also found that the retreat was an excellent way to introduce new students to Cabot School. Through the leadership opportunities, workshops and campfire activities, students learned to trust each other and take advantage of the many skills, talents and interests that exist within the community.
“I think that this was a very positive experience; it was a fun and educational way to get us back into the school mindset without going straight into classrooms,” sophomore Lyrica Stelle said. “This trip brought us closer together as a school community and gave us a chance to get to know everyone better.”
The interviews contained in this article were conducted by the Media Communications class: Kyle Celley, Mark Schumacher, Seth Herrick, Billie-Jean Rowe and Megan Colbeth. The article was written by Kassandra Morse.
From August 29 - 31, students confronted challenges such as the high ropes course offered by Siskin, as well as workshops offered by their peers and teachers. James Haugland, the new high school chorus and theatre instructor, dropped by the campfire the first night with a bag of props and improvisation games. The next day, Geof Hewitt, Poetry Slam Master, came for the day to run several workshops on poetry and writing, and to end the day with a phenomenal slam featuring poems by Cabot students and teachers alike.
Retreat facilitator David Schilling says that the retreat was “...far from a ‘summer camp’ experience. The skills learned at an intensive retreat such as this are essential for college and beyond. I firmly believe the Siskin retreat contributes to creating prepared citizens who are better equipped to handle real-world challenges.”
“The purpose of the retreat was to build relationships and visualize the school year in order to make it a great one,” commented Bill Tobin, the high school math teacher. “It went really well and everybody had a great time.”
Time was also spent during the retreat discussing what the students wanted the school year to look like. The high school will be devoting time this year to creating a leadership group that speaks with the combined voices of students and teachers.
“The retreat helped all of us realize we are all human and not just ‘a teacher’ or just ‘a student,’” Ella Malamud, a high school science teacher said. “I got to know the students a little better.”
“It eliminates the awkwardness of the school year,” senior Maelily Robison says. “I personally think the purpose was to help us students have time to catch up with each other, have fun, and help us build the community. Hopefully the school will keep doing this every year.”
Certainly, the retreat was met with almost unanimous approval from students and teachers alike. The workshops that were offered introduced students and teachers to many different skills and games, from Scottish country dancing to a rousing game of Werewolves, a traditional Russian game.
“Everyone was together working in groups to solve problems at school. We also shared the chores equally,” junior Olivia Bellavance said. “I thought the purpose of the trip was to be introduced to the themes and expectations of the year to come.”
When asked her opinion on the retreat, principal Karen Stewart commented that she “...was very impressed with the maturity level of the students. They built relationships and formed a stronger community. It was just a magnificent way to begin a new school year together.”
Students and teachers also found that the retreat was an excellent way to introduce new students to Cabot School. Through the leadership opportunities, workshops and campfire activities, students learned to trust each other and take advantage of the many skills, talents and interests that exist within the community.
“I think that this was a very positive experience; it was a fun and educational way to get us back into the school mindset without going straight into classrooms,” sophomore Lyrica Stelle said. “This trip brought us closer together as a school community and gave us a chance to get to know everyone better.”
The interviews contained in this article were conducted by the Media Communications class: Kyle Celley, Mark Schumacher, Seth Herrick, Billie-Jean Rowe and Megan Colbeth. The article was written by Kassandra Morse.