Eighth Graders Head For The Wild Side
Story & Photos by TSgt Irvin Carter - Posted Apr, 2000
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Burt Miller is the Principal of the Hood Canal School, just outside of Shelton, Washington, on the Olympic Peninsula. About 6 years ago he sat down with teachers Chambliss Keith and Andy Bloomfield and drafted a unique and unorthodox program they called 'BOOTS' ('Bringing Outdoor Occupations and Technology to Students'). The objective was a simple one - teach students essential social skills using environments both in and out of the traditional school setting.
They tailored the program for 8th grade students who lacked a commitment to school... kids that were habitually tardy or absent... that were disruptive in the classroom... kids for whom academic failure was almost guaranteed. For some of these young students noticeable patterns of persistent anti-social behavior had already started to take root.
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Miller and Keith came up with the idea of providing the kids with a series of challenging experiences culminating in a three-day field trip to the Lake Ozette region of Washington, on the Pacific coast of the Olympic Peninsula.
The program would stress teamwork and would foster the development of strong social skills.
With the help of the Washington National Guard's DDR office, Miller and Keith's ideas were developed into a strategy for action. The specially-trained youth coordinators of the DDR helped to come up with ways that the teachers could get the attention of the students. After that, the personal bonding began to take place. Opportunities were created for students to began to learn and experience positive social interaction. In turn they began to receive positive recognition from their peers and their teachers.
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Today the program isn't just for troubled kids. Each Hood Canal School 8th grader has the opportunity to participate in this unique program. The annual event has come to be viewed as a sort of 'rites of passage' at the school.
To find out more about this and other National Guard youth programs call the Drug Demand Reduction Program office at (253) 512-8008, or visit their website!
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