Getting Ready to Go

Here is a central place for us to compile the results of all our hard work getting ready for this wilderness trip.

Leta's press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: North Haven High School Prepares For Annual Fall Expedition
North Haven, Maine - September 9, 2011- This year the North Haven High School is once again preparing to embark on “Fall Expedition,” a week long wilderness trip that the entire high school, thirteen students and six faculty members, participates in. For this expedition, they will be traveling by canoe on West Branch of the Penobscot River
Unusually, NHCS always has the students as the primary executors of the trip. The students take the task of planning the details of the trip, from meals to tents. They divide themselves into four groups: equipment, food, navigation, and safety. Each group has specific responsibilities that they focus on throughout the week.
“I think it teaches responsibility,” says Kennedy Cooper, 9th grade, “we are in charge of making the trip a success.”
The equipment group is checking that the tents, stoves, and dry bags function properly. At the same time, the food group is planning the meals and choosing appropriate snacks for each day. The navigation group decides the route and how many miles will be traveled each day. The safety group collects and organizes safety protocols, first aid kit, and making sure everyone has permission to attend the expedition.
“Planning the expedition really connects the group together and gives us a sense of ownership over the trip. I love the feeling of accomplishment after a great fall expedition,” says the sole twelfth grade girl, Leta Hallowell.
Not only are the students responsible for planning the trip but also during the trip the students take care of the most important tasks. Everyday on the expedition there is an assigned student leader, who is accountable for the decision making and helping the group work together.
“Expedition builds our leadership experience and teaches us skills that we can use in the future” says Riley Venger, one of the two eleventh graders at the school.
Upon the high schoolʼs return students must prepare a community presentation which take place Oct. 20th at Watermanʼs Community Center. Students plan to collect sound and create a audio accompaniment to the presentation.