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Snooze at the School Warren Township High School by Roy Triveline Forty students and six staff members set out for a wild adventure behind the school grounds of Warren Township High School in Gurnee, Illinois. The event was sponsored by the school's environmental group M.E.C.S. (Mother Earth's Concerned Students). The group originated ten years ago in response to student concern over recycling, but has evolved into more of a outdoor educational organization. The idea of the camping trip was simply to expose students to the out-of-doors without the hassles of traveling. The convenience of having the camp out behind the school made much of the event easier to plan. For many of the students it was the first time camping, so the proximity of the building was a nice safety net for unforseen circumstances of inexperienced campers. The afternoon started out with group initiatives. These endeavors brought the students together to solve specific problems and allowed staff to share their specific talents with the group. Simple props, like a small wooden platform, created challenges for students to solve using creative problem solving skills. The challenge of fitting fifteen people on a small platform for five seconds was a spectacular example of what could be done when we all work together. Trust falls and a name game were also used to create group cohesiveness. In about an hour's time students felt comfortable with both the people around them and their surroundings. During the evening, we enjoyed the company
of the Astronomy Club who shared their telescopes and knowledge of the
stars with us. The highlight of the event was the fire circle, which
was started without matches. Instead we used a large bow drill that
took at least eight students to operate. Students took turns pulling
and pushing the 8' bow to create enough friction to create a small fire
coal below the wood. Although it took quite a while, the accomplishment
amazed both students and staff. The group dynamics of the fire took
on magical properties as we observed students from different cliques working
together to accomplish a goal. The discussions that took place at
the fire that night were priceless. The boundaries between teacher
and student were temporarily erased and true communication took place.
We discussed how important fire was to our ancestors and why this fire
was so special to us. We had included with our fire the coals of
the Seventh Fire for peace, which has traveled around the world.
The next day, each student received coals from the fire that were wrapped
in cloth and tied in string. They were asked to share the story and
the coal at their next campfire.
In an effort to make the trip educational as well as fun, we taught students how to camp with minimal impact to the environment, encouraging the idea that after we pack up there should be no evidence that we camped there the night before. For instance, great effort was made to remove the sod from the school grounds for the campfire. The small fire burned for several hours in the hole we dug and the next day the sod was replaced with no evidence of the fire. It was a great and inexpensive way to get students more connected with their fellow classmates and the natural world around them. Bringing the wonders of nature to suburban high school students was easy and very rewarding. Roy Triveline
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