Aspirations Program visits Camden Hills Regional High School

September 20, 2006

The Leadership School's Aspirations program, a follow-up 9th grade program focused on goal-setting and postsecondary education, continues to strive for excellence as it seeks to expand its reach. The first Aspirations program of the year was held at Camden Hills Regional High School on August 30th. Twelve Leadership School staff worked with roughly 150 freshmen students.

Upon arriving, each staff was paired with a seminar group and headed outside for a large group game called "Seven Challenges". Students had seventy minutes to complete seven of twelve challenges, creating an exciting and fun atmosphere of teamwork and friendly competition. Challenges included "Leaning Tower of Feetsa", where teams tried to construct the tallest free standing tower of feet, and "Mainland to Maui", where the entire team tried to cross from one platform to another without anyone stepping off the platform or having any materials touch the ground. Students were able to draw several parallels between "Seven Challenges" and what they imagined high school might be like. Numerous opportunities; limited time; the need to prioritize and plan; the challenge of listening to yourself with so many other opinions and ideas flying around?these were some of the similarities students mentioned.

In the afternoon, each Leadership School staff worked with his or her seminar group alongside a Camden Hills teacher to brainstorm postsecondary opportunities. Students also identified concrete actions they could take during high school to increase their chances of reaching personal postsecondary education goals. The brainstorm was accomplished by playing a large game of Scrabble, making it a lively and interactive "conversation".

Most meaningful to many students was the moment they received a copy of the letter they had written to themselves as 8th graders while attending Kieve's Leadership School the year before. Students had time to reflect on the goal they had set for themselves. Many students discovered they had failed to accomplish their goal, and this provided an opportunity for Leadership School staff to help students reflect on the entire process of goal setting and follow-through. Students recognized the importance of identifying and involving a "support team" as well as being realistic about the time and skills needed to accomplish their goals. Students then wrote new goals for themselves to accomplish during high school, keeping in mind the connection between accomplishing that goal and creating more opportunities for themselves post-graduation.

All in all, it was a great day. Leadership School staff enjoyed the energy and enthusiasm of the Camden Hills High School students, along with their willingness to open up about the goals they had for themselves in high school and beyond.