Thanks to a recent grant the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District received, and the support of the Pioneer Valley High School Administration team, 23 students had the opportunity to try out the ropes course at Camp Whittier.
The day began for three different groups when they were given challenges by the instructors. During the imaginative activities one group battled asteroids while the others were crossing lava rivers and traversing great distances on giant skis.
After completing the initial challenges students moved to the high elements of the ropes course where they put on climbing harnesses and helmets and started climbing. Facing their fears and shaking legs, Panthers crossed high wires, climbed the overhangs on the rock wall, and jumped off a 20-foot telephone pole.
“It was really something to watch several people push themselves to go farther than they ever thought they could, and it was a day I won’t soon forget and some of the students won’t either,” teacher Jay Craddock said in a press release.
Students learned a lot about themselves after the experience.
“I learned that I am better than I think I am,” student Luis De Jesus said in a press release.
“Camp Whittier was great for me because I can trust people now,” student Christopher Navarro said in the release.
Other students realized that they were able to accomplish more than they gave themselves credit for.
“… I thought I couldn’t go all the way but I faced my fears and jumped off the pole!” student Nathan Garcia said in the statement.
“It was both scary and exciting. Getting up on the pole wasn’t that bad but actually walking across the wire was the hardest. Sometimes we just had to stop and take a breath in order to keep moving forward,” student Banessa Chavez added in the release.
This article appears in Nov 10-17, 2016.
