24 Programs! Our biggest partnership ever! What an awesome year it has been with the thriving Special Education Department of Somerville Public Schools. Thanks to a Cummings Foundation grant the Somerville SPED Department received and the tireless efforts of Wellness Coordinator and friend, Caitlin Kelly, Waypoint was BACK in Somerville for the 2018-2019 school year designing and facilitating quality adventure-education programs for 19 different classes across the district. Social-Emotional Learning was happening on these programs: students immersed in problem solving scenarios, supported by the process of learning and community, and given the right to take on challenging experiences and we saw it in action – the perfect recipe for character building come to life.
These programs were not just work for us. The buy-in from teachers and administrators made this series a joy to facilitate. We even had volunteers come out on one program and come back again and again and again because of how much fun they had just being a part of these days! Shoutout to Jim Bradley, Sylvana Weinstein, and some awesome repeat groups from Definitive Cares and The Shady Hill School. This community is vibrant and excelling because of your support!
You HAVE to peruse some of the pictures below. It felt like a family photo album putting these together and laughing about ridiculous things that happened on programs and awesome students, teachers, and volunteers we met along the way. Here are some snapshots from all of the programs we ran with Somerville during 2018-2019:
10/25/18 Ropes Course at Hale Reservation
11/14/18 Hike in the Middlesex Fells
12/19/18 Indoor Rock Climbing at Central Rock Watertown
1/9/19 Indoor Rock Climbing at Central Rock Watertown
1/11/19 Hike at Prospect Hill in Waltham
1/15/19 Indoor Rock Climbing at Central Rock Watertown
1/23/19 Hike at Ward Reservation in Andover
1/30/19 Indoor Kayaking at the Kennedy School in Somerville
2/5/19 Hike at Ward Reservation in Andover
2/13/19 Indoor Kayaking at the Kennedy School in Somerville
2/27/19 Indoor Kayaking at the Kennedy School in Somerville
3/19/19 Hike at Harold Parker State Forest in Andover
3/27/19 Indoor Kayaking at the Kennedy School in Somerville
3/28/19 Indoor Rock Climbing at Central Rock Watertown
4/2/19 Outdoor Rock Climbing at Hammond Pond in Newton
4/10/19 Hike at Breakheart Reservation in Wakefield
4/24/19 Hike at Lynn Woods in Lynn
5/1/19 Indoor Rock Climbing at Central Rock Watertown
5/15/19 Hike at Lynn Woods in Lynn
5/16/19 Hike at Prospect Hill in Waltham
5/23/19 Outdoor Rock Climbing at Hammond Pond in Newton
5/24/19 Hike at Breakheart Reservation in Wakefield
5/29/19 Indoor Kayaking at the Kennedy School in Somerville
6/5/19 Kayaking on the Charles River in Allston
We can’t thank our site partners from Central Rock Gym, Paddle Boston – Charles River Canoe and Kayak, Kennedy School Pool, and Massachusetts DCR enough for supporting this programming. THANK YOU!
And THANK YOU to all the students for participating, and the teachers and administrators that helped coordinate transportation, get forms filled out, opened the pool, and made sure adventure programming fit seamlessly into your curriculum. We believe it’s so important and it’s encouraging to see others agree. Looking forward to next year!