7th Grade CATALYST Retreat
History: Twenty years ago Buckfield Jr. Sr. High School worked jointly with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension to develop a Catalyst Retreat. It has come to be the springboard event that effectively transitions Hartford Sumner Elementary School students into BJSHS middle schoolers. The purpose of the retreat is to serve as a change agent to develop skills in group participation, goal setting, and leadership. It has become traditional to begin middle school with the 7th Grade Catalyst Retreat where students are also introduced to place-based service learning, an inherent element of our program.
When: As early in the school year as possible, while the weather is still warm! A day is spent at school preparing for the event, three days are spent at camp, and the fifth day 7th grade students reflect on their learning back at school. They collaborate with 8th graders to begin some type of year long place-based service learning project.
Where: 80 Berry Rd., on Bear Pond in Turner. The retreat is at Ms. Kimball’s camp and two adjacent rental camps belonging to Mike & Terry Gordon of Turner. There is plenty of room for girls to sleep in the cabins and boys tent just outside near the volleyball court. Students are supervised at all times. Stuents are also transported in groups to nearby Bear Mountain where they begin to experience the science curriculum.
What: BJSHS has a history of learning about the place in which we live; we explore the history, culture, and science of our local towns. The Catalyst Retreat is where students begin to analyze the needs of our community and think about how they can work together to improve it. Our students have envisioned and completed some significant work originating from the service learning initiation at the retreat: they’ve developed a large garden from which produce is harvested for a variety of uses. They have publicized the Rail Trail with a kiosk at the intersection of High St. and the railroad bed to enhance health and recreation, and they continue to place and remove US flags on all US Veterans’ grave sites in Buckfield.
Why: Students who improve the place in which they live develop a stronger sense of citizenship, and learn that giving back to a supportive community feels good! In addition, the Catalyst Retreat also helps students transition from the elementary school into a brand new school setting. We endeavor to create a sense of independence without entirely cutting the apron strings, by providing a series of challenge by choice activities. We engage students in real activities of daily life: meal preparation, clean up and maintenance, as well as opportunities to reflect and give thanks. Students will come to see new strengths in each other, learn the value of collaboration, and get to know their new teachers in genuine ways. Staff will also have the luxury of connecting with students and developing relationships that are mutually respectful, without the typical restrictions of “school” and the reliance on academic skill.
Safety is paramount:
Lifeguard for swimming
Shoes are worn except for swimming or canoeing
Life jackets are mandatory in canoes
School buses are used for transportation
Chaperones include teachers, ed techs, administrators, and parent volunteers whose backgrounds have been checked; we have a 10:1 student/adult ratio at all times
Health forms are on hand at all times and the school nurse advises the dispensing of medications
History: Twenty years ago Buckfield Jr. Sr. High School worked jointly with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension to develop a Catalyst Retreat. It has come to be the springboard event that effectively transitions Hartford Sumner Elementary School students into BJSHS middle schoolers. The purpose of the retreat is to serve as a change agent to develop skills in group participation, goal setting, and leadership. It has become traditional to begin middle school with the 7th Grade Catalyst Retreat where students are also introduced to place-based service learning, an inherent element of our program.
When: As early in the school year as possible, while the weather is still warm! A day is spent at school preparing for the event, three days are spent at camp, and the fifth day 7th grade students reflect on their learning back at school. They collaborate with 8th graders to begin some type of year long place-based service learning project.
Where: 80 Berry Rd., on Bear Pond in Turner. The retreat is at Ms. Kimball’s camp and two adjacent rental camps belonging to Mike & Terry Gordon of Turner. There is plenty of room for girls to sleep in the cabins and boys tent just outside near the volleyball court. Students are supervised at all times. Stuents are also transported in groups to nearby Bear Mountain where they begin to experience the science curriculum.
What: BJSHS has a history of learning about the place in which we live; we explore the history, culture, and science of our local towns. The Catalyst Retreat is where students begin to analyze the needs of our community and think about how they can work together to improve it. Our students have envisioned and completed some significant work originating from the service learning initiation at the retreat: they’ve developed a large garden from which produce is harvested for a variety of uses. They have publicized the Rail Trail with a kiosk at the intersection of High St. and the railroad bed to enhance health and recreation, and they continue to place and remove US flags on all US Veterans’ grave sites in Buckfield.
Why: Students who improve the place in which they live develop a stronger sense of citizenship, and learn that giving back to a supportive community feels good! In addition, the Catalyst Retreat also helps students transition from the elementary school into a brand new school setting. We endeavor to create a sense of independence without entirely cutting the apron strings, by providing a series of challenge by choice activities. We engage students in real activities of daily life: meal preparation, clean up and maintenance, as well as opportunities to reflect and give thanks. Students will come to see new strengths in each other, learn the value of collaboration, and get to know their new teachers in genuine ways. Staff will also have the luxury of connecting with students and developing relationships that are mutually respectful, without the typical restrictions of “school” and the reliance on academic skill.
Safety is paramount:
Lifeguard for swimming
Shoes are worn except for swimming or canoeing
Life jackets are mandatory in canoes
School buses are used for transportation
Chaperones include teachers, ed techs, administrators, and parent volunteers whose backgrounds have been checked; we have a 10:1 student/adult ratio at all times
Health forms are on hand at all times and the school nurse advises the dispensing of medications