Summer program teaches respect for diversity and nature
Special to The American
More than 40 Hazelwood high and middle school students participated in the Wyman Center Teen Leadership Program this summer.
Starting in the eighth grade, teens enroll in the program and participate for five years. They gain the experiences, skills and values needed to prepare to act as contributing students, family members, employees and citizens.
“You meet new people here and you have to get out of your shell to become a leader, not a follower,” said Deja McClendon, an eighth grader who attends Hazelwood Central Middle School.
“My favorite activity was spa day. All of the boys were out on a trek, so we girls got to make avocado-banana and honey-oatmeal facial masks.”
Popular camp programs include treks, or all-day activities away from camp such as float trips or caving expeditions, team-building, learning about forest and aquatic ecology and living history. Raft-building prompts the students to work together to construct mini-rafts out of recyclable materials and then test them on local bodies of water.
“I liked our trek,” said Khyraa Mitchell, an eighth grader who goes to Hazelwood Southeast Middle School and is a friend of McClendon’s.
“We went canoeing on a big lake in a county park. We got to swim a little as well.”
Hazelwood North Middle School eighth grader Ashley Haymon summed up her favorite activity with a single word – “Caving!”
Missouri has more caves than any other state.
“It was fun, and it was different from my usual surroundings,” she said.
Maurice Lawson, an eighth grader who attends Hazelwood East Middle School, outlined the difference between boys’ and girls’ activities.
“We did more physical stuff than the girls did,” he said.
He said the boys played football, used bows and arrows, rock-climbed, bungee-jumped and took part in the high ropes course.
Jalen Baker, who is an eighth grader at Hazelwood Central Middle School, admitted that the high ropes course was a challenge for him because he has a fear of heights.
“I didn’t think I would be able to do the high ropes. Everybody else said it was fun after you jumped, so I jumped,” he said.
“My favorite activity was canoeing on the Meramec River. I liked the whole experience of being out there and trying something new.”
There are five student leadership classes at Wyman this summer, and the camp sponsored two family nights for first- through third-year students.
The program’s goals are to make positive relationships with other youth and adults, to contribute positively to the community, respect diversity and to be able to live and work in a diverse community, to graduate from high school and pursue higher education or employment, and to develop leadership skills in self-awareness, community, group effectiveness, organization, decision-making and problem-solving.
Wyman Center student participants must reside in the St. Louis metropolitan area, have reliable adult support, be able to completely take part in an active, outdoor program and maintain a 2.5 GPA or above.