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 Sunday and Monday, August 17 and 18, regardless of your involvement with PSL in the past.

The workshop this year includes an overnight stay at Heathwood on Sunday night. We will be involved in some rather unique training events during the nighttime hours on Saturday.

There are also several new twists to the program this year that we look forward to explaining to you on Sunday.

The training workshop begins at 2pm sharp on Sunday afternoon, August 17 and will last until 6pm on Monday evening, August 18 (including ALL NIGHT Sunday night). 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). 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 woods@heathwood.org.

Survivor PSL movie! from a previous PSL training weekend.

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PEAK Outdoor Club

Scuba Diving
John Pennykamp Coral Reef State Park
Key Largo
October 10-13, 2008

Members of the Heathwood community have an opportunity to dive the beautiful reefs and intriguing wrecks found just off the coast of Key Largo. John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, the first under-water state park in the United States, is known for its coral reefs located five miles offshore. The trip includes 4 daytime dives plus an optional night dive.

Divers must be Open Water certified. However, divers who have completed the classroom and confined water dives may earn their Open Water certification by completing the required open water dives on this trip.

Our divers will be accompanied by a divemaster from Columbia Scuba, LLC, and we will dive with Silent World Dive Center, a very requtable dive center in Key Largo.

Cost for this trip is $995 (not including flight to Ft. Lauderdale). Cost includes rental gear (except for wetsuits), tips, tanks, lodging, breakfast and lunch on dive days, and transportation from Ft. Lauderdale to Key Largo. Airline tickets to Ft. Lauderdale are relatively inexpensive and will be booked through the PEAK office.

Key Largo Dive Trip
Information and Registration
(available in mid-August)

More Events To Be Planned in August
During PSL Training . . .

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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 last year included an adventure trip to Ecuador, a backpacking trip on the Chattooga River Trail, and an adventure and team building program on the Alpine Tower. Look for more exciting opportunities this year!

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.

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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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