Mountaineer Experience brings classmates together

FALLS VILLAGE — Housatonic Valley Regional High School’s halls are still occupied with students, despite summer vacation.

The Summer Mountaineer Experience is a free two week long camp for rising 6th through 9th graders in Region One. Running for the first time in 2021, it was designed to re-establish a sense of self and community through outdoor activities.

The goal of the camp is to give back what the COVID-19 pandemic took from students and create a space for children from all 6 towns to meet before the upcoming school year.

The Summer Mountaineer Experience is co-directed by Barbara Hockstader, Anne Macneil and Jill Pace, each of whom bring in a unique skill set.

Hockstader works in education technology, creating software that directly impacts teachers and school administrators. At the forefront of her work is promoting social and emotional learning. Macneil works as the athletic director at HVRHS and Jill Pace as the library and media specialist at Sharon Center School.

Instructing each group of campers are five high school students as well as Rea Tarsi, a school counselor at Kent Center and Cornwall Consolidated Schools. As “one big team,” they create daily programming that emphasizes learning by doing, specifically in the outdoors.

Overcoming ropes courses at Indian Mountain School builds confidence. Provided

Every morning campers participate in an outdoor activity off-campus. Campers can choose from a high ropes course at Indian Mountain School, paddle boarding and canoing on Twin Lakes, or various local hikes. The high ropes course was run by Eliza Statile, the Director of Outdoor Adventure and Education at IMS. Campers worked together to put on harnesses, hold the ladder and ropes, and cheer each other on. Both the catwalk and high multi-vine elements were open for them to climb. Those at Twin Lakes were instructed by Adam Mayer, Salisbury school teacher and owner of GO Paddleboard CT.

In the afternoons, campers engage in week-long intensive activities, all of which are based at the high school. The options include Art Garage, agriculture education, backyard games, super powers, and flying cloud.

This past week, campers in the ag-ed class learned about solar energy, went berry picking, and made whipped cream. These individual activities led up to the final day where campers baked homemade blueberry cobblers.

At the end of a hike, campers enjoy the view atop the Northwest Corner.Provided

The flying cloud group investigated electronegativity and the ways it is used in everyday life. To further conceptualize this idea, each camper made a speaker for their phones using wood, paper, wires, and magnets.

Super powers, run by Mary O’Neill, is a program for rising 9th graders to process the change that comes with switching schools. Before going home, campers were led through various reflective exercises.

Hockstader emphasized that all activities incorporate the four goals of the camp which are, “to have fun, make new friends, enjoy the outdoors together, and do something new.” “We want to let kids have a space to grow socially and emotionally through activities that they think are fun,” she said.

The camp is funded by a Berkshire Taconic grant and a Summer Mental Health grant from the state. All Star Bus Company is responsible for transporting campers to and from the high school. Hockstader said that the bus drivers “bend over backwards to ensure the safety of these kids.”