Chatham students participate in Leadership Academy

Posted Saturday, June 28, 2008

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Pittsboro, NC - Thirteen Chatham County Schools students participated in a leadership academy on June 16-18 at the Triangle Training Center (TTC) of Pittsboro. Eligible middle and high school migrant students from Bonlee, Chatham Central, Chatham Middle, Jordan-Matthews and Northwood attended a visual communication workshop and ropes course.

On Monday morning the group was given opportunities to participate in activities that required creativity, trust, and decision-making. After lunch the students accepted the physical challenge of ascending a 45’ rock wall as part of a team building exercise. Michael Peterson, Lead Facilitator, and Mary Ellen Cullen, Facilitator, worked with the students and helped them develop strong leadership skills. That afternoon, Jorge Montero, a professor of graphic design at Savannah College of Art and Design, introduced the students to elements of visual communication and graphic design. The students then chose their own social awareness topic for creating a poster.

Trevor Hayhurst, Assistant at TTC, joined the group on Tuesday to provide extra help with the Orienteering outdoor activities. The TTC staff taught the students how to “find their true north” by using a compass and leadership skills to successfully navigate their way through multiple activity sites on route to a final challenge. This process required participants to acquire new skills and assume responsibility as they worked together to fill a variety of important roles. After their adventurous outdoor activities the students returned to the classroom and continued researching and analyzing the information they collected the day before to finish their sketches.

The students started Wednesday by completing their social awareness posters. Jorge Montero used his expertise to put the finishing touches on the student’s posters. In the afternoon the students experienced multiple climbs. The students first had an opportunity to collaborate while wearing a harness and being 30’ off the ground. Students partnered up to traverse a series of cables while being supported, encouraged, and kept safe by the rest of the team. The second climb allowed the students to jump off the top of a 35’ telephone pole, which metaphorically represented taking a “leap of faith” toward their goals. In the final activity students were able to share what they learned throughout the past three days.

The posters will be exhibited at a parent meeting in July.

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Triangle Training Inc. is a full-service consulting firm specializing in team building, performance enhancement and organizational development. Considered North Carolina's premier provider of experiential training and development services, Triangle Training Inc. custom designs and delivers retreats and programs that support individual, team and organizational growth and development.