| PEAK
Student Leadership (PSL)
The
PEAK Student Leadership program specifically . . .
PROVIDES
experiences that serve to develop and enhance leadership qualities
among Upper School students at Heathwood Hall
ENHANCES
programs offered by the PEAK Outdoor Center by cultivating a
competent team of student leaders
As a PSL member
students are expected to voluntarily become involved with PEAK
programs throughout the year. The PEAK Outdoor Center sponsors
a variety of different programs for individuals of all ages, including
adults. Program activities include climbing, paddling, biking,
backpacking, camping, leadership development and team building,
and community service. As a PSL member, students choose to become
involved in programs that are of most interest to them.
In order to become a PSL member you must participate in
a 2-day/1-night training workshop to be held Heathwood on Saturday
and Sunday, August 18 and 19, regardless of your involvement with
PSL in the past.
The workshop
this year includes an overnight stay at Heathwood on Saturday
night. We will be involved in some rather unique training events
during the nighttime hours on Saturday.
The training
workshop begins at 8am sharp on Saturday, August 18 and will last
until 3pm on Sunday afternoon, August 19 (including ALL NIGHT
Saturday night). We will celebrate a brief service of worship
on Sunday morning. We’ll feed you throughout the weekend.
Wear comfortable clothes. Bring clothes for the water, including
shoes that will stay attached to your feet in the river (something
more reliable than flip flops or crocs). Be sure to bring a water
bottle and wear sunscreen. Also, bring a sleeping bag and toiletry
items for the overnight.
A set of forms
for this event my be accessed by clicking on this link: PSL
forms. Please fill out all three of these forms and
bring them with you on Saturday, August 18.
Since your
involvement in PEAK as a PSL member is an investment in our program,
there is no cost for this event. However, you may want to have
a few dollars in your pocket for the weekend.
In addition, students who intend to become involved with the PSL
program this year should email us IMMEDIATELY at peak@heathwood.org.
Survivor
PSL movie! from last year's PSL training
weekend.
Last
year's PSL Service Points
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PEAK
Outdoor Club
The PEAK
Outdoor Club is a program open to ANY upper school student who
wishes to participate in the dynamic and exciting events sponsored
by the club throughout the year. The club meets on a monthly basis.
A leadership group determines club interests and oversees the
implementation of club-related programs.
TEAM
TRIATHLON and RIVER RAFTING
Upper School students travel to the mountains of western North
Carolina where they raft the Nantahala River on Saturday afternoon
and participate in the Tsali Team Triathlon on Sunday morning.
The group spends Saturday night at the campground at Tsali Recreation
Area near Bryson City. Students need to register for the triathlon
and pay the fee before leaving on Saturday morning. Students also
need to bring money for lunch on Saturday and Sunday. Dinner and
breakfast will be covered by PEAK The forms and the
trip fee must be returned by Friday, August 31.
Students leave Heathwood at 7am on Saturday morning September
8 and travel to the Nantahala Outdoor Center for an afternoon
raft trip on the Nantahala River. The group eats dinner in Bryson
City on Saturday night and spends Saturday night camping at Tsali
Recreation Area. The Tsali Triathlon begins at the Tsali Recreation
Area at 9am on Sunday morning. The group travels back to Heathwood
immediately following the race. Dinner on Saturday evening and
breakfast on Sunday morning are provided by PEAK. Students need
to bring money for lunch on Saturday and Sunday. Students must
complete the on-line registration for the Triathlon and pay the
fee for the event before leaving on Saturday morning. Click on
this link for on-line registration: Tsali
Triathlon
Students who wish to participate
in the INDIVIDUAL triathlon (3 mile kayak paddle, 4mile trail
run, 12 mile mountain bike) in addition to the team event may
be part of a group that leaves Heathwood on Friday afternoon,
September 7.
TRIATHLON
and RAFTING information and registration
On-Line
TRIATHLON REGISTRATION through the NOC
PHOTO
ALBUM from last year's event
COLD
MOUNTAIN Winter Backpacking Expedition
This is a winter backpacking expedition
that takes place in the Shining Rock Wilderness area at Cold Mountain,
in the Pisgah National Forest of NC. The hike is very strenuous
-- packs will be fairly heavy, we gain lots of elevation quickly
and need to cover 5-7 miles of hard terrain. The hike on Sunday
is less demanding, but at least as long. Hopefully, we summit
on Sunday. The hike out on Monday is beautiful. The weather may
be extreme in North Carolina at this time of year. We’re
looking for snow and cold weather and the trip will go as long
as travel is not dangerous
The group leaves Heathwood at 4pm on Friday
afternoon sets up camp off the trail near the Fish Hatchery. Backpackers
should bring gear to the PEAK Outdoor Center early Friday morning
so that it can be packed during the day on Friday.
We will be in the Pisgah National Forest, camping near the Pisgah
Fish Hatchery on Friday night. We will be camping at either Beech
Spring Gap, Shining Rock Gap or Deep Gap on Saturday and Sunday
nights. The phone # at Pisgah Ranger Station is 828/877-3265.
COLD
MOUNTAIN registration and information
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PEAK
Curriculum Connections
OUTDOOR
EDUCATION CLASS
A class entitled Wilderness Exploration is offered
as a semester-long elective and may fulfill a half credit for
physical education. Upper School students encounter an exciting
and hands-on curriculum that includes experiential learning opportunities
relative to wilderness adventure activities including canoeing
and kayaking, climbing, orienteering, mountain biking, hiking
and backpacking, cooking and camping. Students study significant
aspects of geology, geography, meteorology, and ecology, and are
exposed to the written works and ideas of some of North America’s
foremost conservationists, naturalists, nature writers, and environmentalists.
First aid and CPR are also part of the class curriculum as students
complete an American Heart Association First Aid and CPR class
receiving certification in these areas.
WINTERIM
Winterim at Heathwood Hall is a unique program that offers opportunity
for students to experience learning beyond the classroom. The
PEAK Outdoor Center sponsors a variety of Winterim experiences
each year. Programs in the past have included expeditionary trips
to the Everglades, Yellowstone, Canaan Valley in West Virginia,
the Grand Canyon, Zion Canyon, Grand Staircase-Escalante, Montana,
Costa Rica, and the Appalachian, Chattooga, and Foothills Trails.
Experiences for this year include a wilderness immersion in Death
Valley National Park in California and a mountain adventure
trip in North Carolina that combines
rock climbing, ropes courses and backpacking.
WOOD
DUCK HABITAT RESTORATION
In and effort with the South Carolina Waterfowl Association, students
in tenth grade Biology classes maintain the Wood Duck habitat
in the swamp on the Heathwood Road just off of Bluff Road. Eight
Wood Duck boxes are located in the habitat. Students, assisted
by a wildlife biologist from the SC Waterfowl Association, clean
the boxes and count eggs while learning about the habits and habitat
of one of the states most beautiful ducks.
_____________________________________________
STUDENTS
participated in these ADVENTURES during the past two SUMMERS
FOOTHILLS
Trail Hike
The
FOOTHILLS TRAIL may be the most unsung, underused, and underrated
long trail in the Southeast. It traverses the Cherokee Foothills
of the Southern Appalachians in North and South Carolina, through
state parks, national forests, and state-owned preserves. In these
lands are high ridgelines, wild and scenic rivers, deep rock gorges,
wilderness areas, mountain lakes, clear trout streams, towering
forests, and a number of incredible waterfalls stretching from
one end of the path to the other.
Expedition
members began just west of Whitewater Falls and ended at Laurel
Creek, having hiked 35 miles of rugged wilderness trail in perhaps
the most pristine area of South Carolina. Hikers practiced backcountry
skills related to route finding, wilderness travel, campsite selection
and maintenance, cooking, and Leave No Trace wilderness ethics.
TETON
Science School
Students
attended the Teton Science School, one of the premier experiential
learning centers for environmental science in North America. Students
experienced the natural world through exploration of the landscape
and wildlife in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem. The general
ecology program offered hands-on studies that included basic concepts
in geology, botany, zoology, astronomy, and ecosystem dynamics.
Outdoor studies were complemented by indoor facilities that included
a field science laboratory, a museum that houses rare research
specimens, and an earth science and astronomy classroom. Students
were housed in cabins and ate delicious healthy meals in the dining
hall.
Adventure
in ECUADOR
and
the GALAPAGOS ISLANDS
Students visit one
of the most fascinating places on earth: The Galapagos Islands
off the coast of Ecuador. Since the late 1960s, people from across
the globe have visited the Galapagos hoping to catch a glimpse
of the archipelago’s fearless and unique wildlife. Trekking
the different islands is like exploring the world’s larges
zoo - except that there are no cages. In addition to a week on
the yacht exploring the Galapagos with a naturalist, the group
also enjoys a week of eco-tourism in Ecuador, one of the most
geographically diverse countries in the world. From coastline
to tropical rainforests to alpine volcanoes in the Andes mountains,
expedition members discover the incredible natural history of
this country located on the Equator.
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