As a Montessori adolescent program, there are two essential principles to which we aspire: one is building community, and the second is embracing challenge. A time-honored tradition of adolescent programs worldwide is to start the year with what we call an “Odyssey Trip.” Such trips are designed so that all members of the community – students and guides – can directly address these two principles in a way that is earnest and dynamic by learning and living together in a setting devoid of external distractions.
Fiore’s adolescent program, “Hawthorn,” traveled to Ohiopyle, PA for this year’s five-day Odyssey trip. “Ohiopyle” (or “Ohiopehelle”) comes from a Lenape phrase meaning “white, frothy water” a nod to the gorgeous whitewater of the Youghiogheny River. We made camp along a mountain ridge in Ohiopyle State Park, where students prepared meals, built fires, sang, and played games together. During the week, we hiked seven miles to Baughman Rock, explored the natural water slides and rocky terrain near Cucumber Falls, examined the dietary habits of the North American river otter during a lab led by the park’s environmental education team, and traversed eight miles of the lower Youghiogheny’s whitewater rapids.
Odyssey trips are designed to promote independence, resilience, and a strong sense of community, and Hawthorn’s journey to Ohiopyle certainly accomplished that goal. Students learned to work together, solve problems, navigate discomfort, and share many moments of joy. It was not difficult to observe tremendous growth in the group from the beginning of the trip to the end.
On our return to Virginia, it was clear that Hawthorn was a very different group. Feelings of uncertainty, unease, and hesitation – which are natural and ubiquitous among new social groups – had been replaced by a strong sense of belonging and cooperative enthusiasm. Hawthorn had transformed from a collection of students and teachers into a close-knit learning community. The group had gained camaraderie, confidence, and an elevated moral sense. Such growth provides the foundation that we will build upon for the rest of the year. I am incredibly grateful for such a phenomenal group of adolescents, and I can’t wait to witness what they build together!
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