|
News from Shady Creek
“Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.” – Helen Keller
Have you ever been in complete awe before?
I was having a discussion this past week with a fellow staff member about the students at camp, and the word awe came up multiple times in our conversation. The staff member was describing to me the look on the students faces as they encountered different forms of wonder on their classes. Whether it was seeing a lizard for the first time or looking at rocks at the creek, these students were having the time of their lives by experiencing nature firsthand. I was also speaking to one of my favorite teachers of all time, Abel Franco, and he shared with me that this was the first time since the 2nd grade that these students had gone on a field trip and for most of them….. it was their first time leaving Yuba City. He also shared that being at Shady Creek for most of these kids was a little overwhelming and it may take some time for them to adjust to our high paced schedule and expectations. Before I go any further, let me share that the schools that comprised week #6 at Shady Creek were Bridge Street and Park Avenue. If you are familiar with these schools then you know exactly what neighborhoods they come from and what their surrounding community looks like…….. Shady Creek might as well be a different planet for some of them. It was an INCREDIBLE week to say the least, by the time Friday came the students were fully submerged into the culture of camp and not a single person was ready to say goodbye.
For me, my highlight of the week came on arrival day. When the students arrived, the rain that was forecasted started to come down pretty heavily during our opening ceremony. For most kids we service, bringing a rain resistant jacket just isn’t a reality. We do have about 40 “loaner” rain ponchos for the kids to use while on class but I had a sneaky feeling we were going to be short this week. As the students started to come into the party tent to assemble for class I was on the microphone directing them to see the naturalist staff if they needed to borrow an rain poncho. Over 90% of our students didn’t have a jacket other than a hoodie….. which if you’ve ever been in the rain with a hoodie, you know it doesn’t offer protection for very long and once its wet, you become miserable. For all students who didn’t receive a poncho we made them one using a trash bag…… It was super cute. The students that did receive a poncho were in awe that the orange plastic jacket would keep them dry. I was asked by a group of boys, “Will this really keep us dry from the rain?” After I replied that it would, they all immediately went out of the tent and into the rain. The smiles on their faces were priceless! It was pure joy for those students, an experience that they never had before. They were standing in the pouring rain and they were safe! Then suddenly another group of students approached me and asked, ”Can we drink the rain water?” I had assumed that they meant standing in the rain and opening their mouths to catch the water. I replied that they that was great idea and they should go for it. I then witnessed a half dozen students standing directly under the party tent drinking all the water that was coming off of the tent……It most definitely was not what I expected. As I approached the students to tell them that wasn’t what I meant, they turned to me with the biggest smiles I have ever seen and exclaimed with joy, “This is the best water I’ve ever had!” I was in awe of these student experiences……. I was humbled before the power of the human spirit. I believe that we make a difference every day at Shady Creek. The ripple effect of the positivity that transpires on this mountain is endless…… and I am devoted to see it continue!
Director Chris Little (Yeti)
| 
