by Rohith Palli, Academy Avatar

Laughter rang out across the forest this morning as The Gatton Academy’s newly-arrived juniors and Community Leaders converged upon the low ropes challenge course of Western Kentucky University.

The course is designed to improve teamwork and leadership; it consists of a wide variety of team-building exercises.  From lifting people up walls to putting themselves in line by their birthday, the training worked to mold the class into a functioning team.  In the words of Whitney, a coordinator at the challenge course, “Communication is the key to every exercise. It’s what we try to promote. Teamwork. We want people to really keep others in mind and effective communication is what works.”

“I think experience activities, metaphor activities as I call them, are the best way to learn group dynamics,” said Tim Gott, the director of the Gatton Academy, when asked what he hoped the juniors would gain from this experience.

Students took that message to heart.  Anthony Bates, a quick learner, answered speedily in his group that “teamwork and communication are key.” Later, when asked to describe what he gained from this experience, he noted lessons from the day are an important part of the Adventure Week experience. “I think I learned a lot,” Bates said.  “It really reinforced Pokey’s [ Bowen, assistant director of counseling services] ideas about how we have to work together to succeed and that if one person only thinks about themselves there is no way the team can succeed.”

Each activity was designed with a purpose.  In one activity, a favorite according to the coordinators, students allow themselves to fall backwards into the waiting arms of their peers.  This exercise teaches the students to trust each other.  Students are not, however, required to participate in any activity.  This “challenge by choice” creates an environment in which all the students are enjoying themselves and working together.

As the day went on, and groups got closer together, there was more and more joking around and laughter within the juniors, and between the classes.  Hunter Smith put it best in saying “I found that this challenge course is a very effective resource to help with the junior’s interclass trust and friendliness.” He went on to mention the skills that the seniors learned in the previous year.

One group that has clearly learned these lessons already is the community leaders; the difference in their demeanor from only a year ago is very apparent.  These students, many of whom were very shy and anxious a year ago–similar feelings to this year’s juniors–have become amazingly comfortable with themselves.

“There’s definitely a greater confidence and less hesitance and doubt, better vision of what it’s supposed to be,”  Gott said of the difference in how the community leaders approached this year’s challenge course.  He elaborated with a specific example; “Ballard [Metcalfe] was very quiet last year, and was a major force this year; he talked and he helped and guided.”

At the end of the course, students left better leaders, and everyone was very excited about the new year.  In the wise words of Gott : “I’m incredibly excited about this group and the mixture of the first and second years to see the synergy that develops.”