|
Canku Ota |
|
(Many Paths) |
||
An Online Newsletter Celebrating Native America |
||
May 17, 2003 - Issue 87 |
||
|
||
Rez High School Students Learn the Ropes in Prescott |
||
by Karlyn
Haas Office of Institutional Advancement at Prescott
College
|
||
Twenty high school students from Kayenta's Monument Valley High School and Tuba City High School got a taste of adventure recently with the help of Prescott College Adventure Education undergraduates. The students engaged in a variety of outdoor activities over two-day sessions in Prescott's Granite Dells and Granite Basin and Chino Valley's Promised Land. The outdoor adventure trips were made possible by a $25,000 grant Prescott College received from the Sierra Club Youth in Wilderness Project. The project seeks to expand opportunities for low-income or at-risk youth to experience the wilderness and nature first-hand. Laura Plaut, Prescott College Adventure Education faculty, said the trips were not only an opportunity to provide youth with outdoor environmental and adventure-based educational experiences. They were also as a way for Prescott College undergraduates to work with and learn from different groups of students. "These are years during which youth either see their choices and opportunities broadening or see them narrowing," Plaut said. "Our aim is to provide youth with experiences that will allow them to expand their sense of the possible as well as their sense of connection to and love for the natural world." At the Promised Land, six students from Kayenta's Monument Valley High School learned the basics of rock climbing, including rope management and safety skills. Using mock-belay stations and outfitted in helmets, harnesses and special rubber-soled climbing shoes, the Prescott College undergraduates facilitated the lesson, guiding the Kayenta students through a mock climb. The Prescott College students are all enrolled in Adventure Education, the only class they take this quarter, and have been preparing to teach outside groups since January. The course, which has taken them to Joshua Tree National Park, Big Sur in Northern California and Baboquivari Peak west of Tucson, emphasizes leadership skills including group process and facilitation, expeditionary planning and safety/emergency procedures. For the high school students, the
two days of climbing were about more than just fun. "The [Prescott College] students
went out of their way to continue to challenge us to stay focused on our
goals," said Monument Valley High's Kylandre Johnson. At Granite Basin, many of the 14
high school students from Tuba City made personal connections with the
Prescott College undergraduates. "I would say [the best part]
was getting to know these Prescott College students," said Derrick
Pooyouma, a Tuba City High School senior. "At first I was a bit intimidated
by them, but I was very surprised how they opened up to all of us and
really helped us out. "They helped me throughout a lot of my challenges and helped me achieve my goals." Aside from the opportunity to meet new people, Tom Drumm, Tuba City High School English teacher, said he hopes his students will come away from this experience with a renewed self-confidence and an ability to weigh perceived risks and make healthy choices. "Just being outdoors and being
exposed and introduced to places like this is good for them," Drumm
said. "Hopefully they'll continue to do these kind of things in years
to come, which in turn will lead to a healthier lifestyle." Many
of the Prescott College students in the class plan to become teachers
or facilitate outdoor activities for others once they graduate. "This class has been a great
experience for me," said Prescott College student Leif Caspersson.
"[Working with these students has been] a stepping stone to becoming
skilled at facilitating outdoor activities and working with different
groups of students, different age levels and different socio-economic
backgrounds." "Getting through to students
and reaching them on different levels and having them respond and gaining
their respect was just great." Denny Preisser, a reading teacher
at Monument Valley High School and sponsor the MVHS Outdoor Challenge
Club, sees the collaboration as mutually beneficial. "Outdoor experiences like
this give our kids a chance to interact with each other in an out of school
setting that otherwise would not happen, such as seniors hanging out with
freshmen," he said. "The simple act of sitting around the campfire
at night sharing stories and experiences has immeasurable growing and
learning value in it. "Activities like this teach them a lot about
group dynamics and themselves." In addition, Preisser pointed out
the students benefited from the interaction with the Prescott College
students who served as role models. "The PC students went out
of their way to make this more than just a day of climbing on rocks,"
Prisser said. "They did a good job of giving our kids a true experiential
learning experience through reflection and application of principles applied
in the rock climbing (and the whole camping trip) to everyday life." Plaut hopes to see this program
continue and grow. "We're interested in new partnerships and (of course) new donors," she said. "The jury is clearly in that teaching real live students is the best way to become a real live teacher." Prescott
College
|
|
||
|
||
Canku Ota is a free Newsletter celebrating Native America, its traditions and accomplishments . We do not provide subscriber or visitor names to anyone. Some articles presented in Canku Ota may contain copyright material. We have received appropriate permissions for republishing any articles. Material appearing here is distributed without profit or monetary gain to those who have expressed an interest. This is in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107. | ||
Canku Ota is a copyright © 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 of Vicki Lockard and Paul Barry. |
||
The "Canku Ota - A Newsletter Celebrating Native America" web site and its design is the |
||
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 of Paul C. Barry. |
||
All Rights Reserved. |