South Royalton High School Students Train as Role Models
By Anneke Van Fossen

Third graders at South Royalton School receive a special visit from a group of high school students each month throughout the year.

During each visit, the third graders participate in leadership and teambuilding activities that are organized and orchestrated by the high school group. This group, called Active Leaders and Role Models (ALARM), is composed of 10^th, 11^th and 12^th grade students who are trained in the development of leadership skills. This year, the group added 13 new members.

Last Monday and Tuesday, the 19 ALARM members, the group’s advisor, Bill Goldsworthy, and third grade teacher, Holly Brennan-Cook, all traveled to the Hulbert Outdoors Center in Fairlee to complete the training session for this year.

The students were given several challenges that had to be met and overcome as a group. These games and other activities pushed them to problem-solve and cooperate, focusing on the enhancement of their leadership characteristics. When put into demanding situations, the students learned a great deal about communication, different types of leaders, and their own strengths and weaknesses.

The group was also given the opportunity to do the high ropes course, a particularly difficult aspect of the training, that required a high level of mutual trust and support amongst everyone present. Each student was encouraged to challenge themselves on the elements of the course, which included a trapeze jump, several rope bridges, and a zip-line, all of which were many feet above the ground. Several of the students surprised themselves with their accomplishments during this challenge.

On Tuesday afternoon, the group returned to the school, exhausted, comfortable with everyone else, and full of new ideas and inspiration for their meetings with the third grade. All hope that this year will be organized, effective, and fun.

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