Goals and Description

Greater Sense of Place (Not Me Not Now: Group A)
Summer Leadership Program
Carl Carrozza/Patti Jo Payne

In 1825, budding artist Thomas Cole came to the Catskills to paint. The paintings he created on this trip launched the Hudson River School of Art and forever connected the American artists to the scenery about them.
Realizing the importance of cultivating an appreciation and understanding of the world in which we live, the land we call home, the Catskill Middle School has, as one of its missions, the task of creating “A Greater Sense of Place.” Through field trips, ongoing workshops, involvement with the community, redesigned curriculums, acquisition of outdoor equipment and staff development he school has created opportunities for learning in the outdoors.
Funding from the Abstinence education and Promotion Program allows us to continue to offer The Greater Sense of Place Summer Leadership Program. This outdoor program is intended to serve twelve to fifteen local middle school aged students. This year we would like to focus on developing outdoor skills, social consciousness, and an knowledge of natural history in the participants.
The program consists of several activities that include Environmental Awareness, Natural History, and Outdoor Education Experiences. Students will learn cooperation and problem solving during a Project Adventure activity at CGCC. There will be two canoeing/kayaking experiences, a day hike, a cruise on a sailing ship, an overnight “Survivor” camp out, and a scientific study on dragonflies. These experiences will enable participants to enjoy the great natural environment of Greene County and the healthy recreational outlets it offers. Participants will also do their part to help beautify the Middle School Pocket Park and Field Station that serves as our home base.
The program will be documented and presented in the form of a web page or slide presentation which will be a joint effort of the participants and advisors.
Past participants have shown significant growth and success at Catskill Middle/High School, both personally and academically. We believe that the participants will learn a great deal from each other as well as from the activities planned.
We will try to make future announcements through the summer on-line
http://catskillgsop.blogspot.com/

The objectives of our program include:

• providing teens with healthy forms of enjoyable activity
• providing participants with activities to improve their ability to solve problems in a functional group situation
• providing participants the opportunity to build confidence and self-esteem
• providing participants the opportunity to interact in a positive manner
• providing male and female members an opportunity to engage socially in acceptable and
constructive ways
• providing participants with an opportunity to serve the needs of the community and the environment.
• learning natural and art history firsthand.