Creepy Kickball

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We all know that Halloween is day for embracing our imaginations and letting them run wild. Whether a bit of playful spookiness or a turn to the whimsical and silly, the creative event combined the thrill of Halloween, a supportive and safe environment, and some old-fashioned fun!

 

Mount Prospect Academy students and faculty who participated in this event were excited for a break from the usual routines of life to share a few hours of food, outdoor casual physical competition, and/or to simply be a spectator at the event.

 

 

 

 

 

 

No one would doubt there is something truly enjoyably odd about watching a dinosaur, or ghoul, or a downhill skier play kickball!

 

 

 

At Mount Prospect Academy events such as this create an authenticate sense of belonging by participating in something larger than oneself, or even the MPA family.

 Joining in the worldwide celebration of Halloween is as “normal” (sort of) as it gets!

 

With Mount Prospect Academy Faculty eagerly joining in dressing-up, students are reminded that we are all beings who seek connection and togetherness – sometimes a temporary but deeply satisfying escape from our everyday life is fully acceptable.

 

Shredding Up The Track

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On Saturday October 5th, the Annual 603TrailRiders Rodeo took place at the specially groomed track in Rumney, N.H. under spectacular sunny skies. Raffles, food, swag, a variety of motorcycles and professional dirt bikes, and up-close track-side seating greeted the participants, MPA Faculty, volunteers, community members, and families for the day’s activities.

MPA Faculty Volunteers

The event celebrates the skills of all the participating students who, for the past semester and riding season, have shown an undeniable commitment to the program and to themselves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mount Prospect Academy students in conjunction with the non-profit 603TrailRiders Inc. (NHYPM) took to the track for more than 4 hours in a display of dirt bike riding skills that involved a Slow Race, a Barrel Race, a Box Drill, and the thrilling Trials Course Race, followed by an awards ceremony recognizing the riders’ skills.

 

 

The event brought to fruition the 603TrailRiders mission to instill personal, social, and environmental responsibility through safe and exhilarating dirt bike adventures. At heart the Annual Rodeo itself is a riding event- it is also the culmination of many months of hard work and determination in the classroom by Mount Prospect Academy students in the dirt bike program.

 

For MPA students the event enables a tangible continuity and a direct connection to the experiential curriculum’s hands-on approach to riding. Most critically, it demonstrates in “real-time” the student’s personal psychological growth and learned knowledge gained by their active physical interaction with the equipment, their fellow students/riders, and their instructors.

 

 

 

 

Beyond the academic and behavioral growth, students bond with their MPA instructors and each other throughout the educational process while riding, repairing the bikes, and learning about the sport together.

Instructors Gearing Up the Riders

 

It is a team effort all around!

That sense of camaraderie was evident throughout the day as the riders encouraged, guided, advised, and helped each other to adjust to the changing track conditions. Positioned throughout the track, all students assisted each other in the approaches to the berms, rollers, and the hill climb. The excited and vocal chatter about gear ratios, ‘short shifting’, and ‘counterbalancing’ mixed with bit of rider bravado as to which rider ‘got air’ reflected the unmistakable level of positive energy and enthusiasm that made this event a resounding success for all!

Believe… in the Team!

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Mount Prospect Academy Students and Faculty put their best foot forward in last week’s community football game. The mixed teams of students and faculty held their Fall Flag Football Tournament in classic New Hampshire style on semi-wet but cool autumn day to the cheers of onlookers. Four teams competed for more than 3 hours for the coveted right to be called “Champions” of the gridiron.

 

The day began with- what else!- a Cookout!

MPA Faculty prepared and served food to the competitors in anticipation of the games beginning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Teams organized their game-plans and students were briefed on the behavioral expectations for the day.

Before the matches started, special emphasis was placed on ensuring and reinforcing the need for maintaining proper sportsmanship, respectful inclusiveness, and the importance of teamwork.

The MPA Flag Football Tournament was designed to be an exercise in healthy competition and teamwork.

 

MPA faculty and students huddled up before each play, students and faculty subbed in-and-out providing stability and balanced playtime for all the participants.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Intentionally sharing and rotating positions, designing plays, ‘coaching’ each other as to fellow players strengths, and working together to talk through best team defensive and offensive strategies meant the day was therapeutic, educational, and enjoyable.

 

MPA programs continue to encourage outdoor activities that build on the knowledge that exercise can help reduce stress and anxiety, improve mood, boost self-esteem, enhance cognitive function, and reduce symptoms of depression.

 

By the end of the tournament the outward displays of comradery and cooperation made the event a W-I-N for all.

A ‘Sweet’ Ending to the day at the Ice Cream Bar!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summer Vibes

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The summertime school semesters came to a close in celebratory fashion at MPA’s Squamscott River Academy in Hampton, N.H., MPA’s Plymouth Academic School, and MPA’s Karen Langley Learning Center also in Plymouth, N.H.

Mount Prospect Academy’s academic schedule operates using multiple semesters throughout a year as opposed to a traditional two-semester design.  As expected, the beginning and ending of “summer” semesters with sunny weather presiding brings renewal, relaxation, and recreation for both MPA students and faculty.

Enrolled students were treated to an afternoon of food, games, giveaways, and casual revelry orchestrated and operated by Program Executive Directors, School Principals, and MPA Faculty before heading home for vacation.

 

MPA Faculty served students refreshments, painted faces, sat in the dunk tank, and got “pied in the face” by their colleagues to the cheers of the crowd in attendance. For some MPA students, therapeutic socialization is equally as important for our youth to experience and engage in as is their academic studies.

                         

One MPA Faculty member commented that the events each year bring a sense of normalcy and boost student’s well-being by building on the supportive relationships developed in our schools. In her view, “events such as this model respectful socialization and cooperation and togetherness in a way that is transformational as we aim to treat the ‘whole student’ in our care.

MPA students compete in the “Cheeseballs” Eating Contest!

 

Off to the Races

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Last month seven Mount Prospect Students from Ashuelot Valley Academy in Keene applied their classroom instruction in an innovative and enjoyable way. The challenge over a three (3) week instructional period was to successfully construct a solar car and be able to enter the car in a performance race. It was a chance for students to exhibit both their mastery of the technical and construction skills they acquired as well as to showcase their weeks of hard work and determination.

The applied science project focusses on building real-world STEM skills.

The lesson and the project create opportunities for problem solving, creativity, and critical analysis.

Students first built their models and ran battery packs in class. They analyzed the data derived from the tests and troubleshot all kinds of problems including why several cars turned drastically, the varying speeds of the runs, the physical dimensions and environment factors that may have affected the results. Chassis needed to be rebuilt due to alignment or friction on the wheels. Data from trial runs were compared and design decisions were made.  This required some coaching for the students to use their observation skills. The races were held on a smooth, flat basketball court in town, a straight-line course of 56 total feet. The fastest time came in at 5.19 seconds.

“I was very impressed with the fact that no one gave up and there was minimal frustration,” stated MPA Faculty member Chris Flood.  Flood was very proud of the students for persevering [through a lengthy project] and plans to continue to develop lessons and instruction that will encourage the students’ success in the STEM field.

MPA Faculty Olympics

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The Mount Prospect Academy Self-Care Committee consists of Megan Marra (Plymouth MC), Ashley Ackert (Plymouth PC), Jennifer Michaud (Rumney MC), Rachel Umberger (Plymouth Rumney ED), and Emily Boyd (Plymouth PC). This year’s Summer Event took place at Smith Bridge Field with the organizational assistance of Mike Adamkowski of Upper Valley Stewardship Center.

The goal of this event was to bring MPA Residential employees together for a bit of fun team building outside of work hours. Clinical Director Eli Gubenko and Executive Rachel Umberger along with other MPA Clinical and Permanency Faculty joined the fray.

 

Food and drink were provided, and the designated DJ, MPA’s Gabe Vega, kept the energy pumped-up throughout the event which featured a series of team contests with co-workers.
As was intended, the lighthearted Olympic Games created both a competitive but entertainingly amusing atmosphere for the MPA Faculty participating.
There was a frozen T-shirt contest, water balloon toss, and the traditional tug-of-war event. A new event challenged team members to unwrap a Nalgene bottle wrapped in plastic wrap while wearing gloves. This was NOT easy at all!
Another contest called the “Bucket Brigade” involves passing cups of water down the line to fill a team’s bucket before another team. Communication is the key to this game to avoid spilling as little of each cup’s precious water as it passes through the hands of each member.

Horses as Helpers

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This summer, six Mount Prospect Academy students from the Ashuelot Valley Academy School (AVA) in Keene, NH participated in an equine program at Cooper’s Crossroad Elm Farm. The program, G.L.O.W.E. (Growing, Learning, and Overcoming With Equines) was designed to assist students to gain a better understanding of horses, general horse care, and offered them the opportunity to interact collaboratively with their peers while immersed in a real farm setting. The program, designed by Erin Ballard, teaches and empowers all participants on equine welfare and management as a way to provide them the tools for a future career working with horses.

The eight sessions were entitled: Teamwork and the 5 Freedoms; Horse Communication: How We and Horses Communicate; Horse Anatomy and Conformation; Compassionate Horse Care; Parts of Tack and Riding; Problem Solving and Adapting to Challenges; and Chores.

At the end of each hour-long session, time was put aside for the students to reflect in their journals on the day. Internship Coordinator Annie DiSilva explained that she had the opportunity to hear how the program was influencing the students individually.  Reflecting on those moments, Coordinator DiSilva stated “it was a pleasure for me to observe the teamwork, the joy shared, and the positive self-esteem developed” by the experience.

Students shared their hopes, fears, and feelings in the journals. The overwhelmingly positive results of the student’s G.L.O.W.E. program experience shows the therapeutic value of interacting and caring for animals. One student wrote how, “although they were having a horrible week in which absolutely nothing was going right, because they attended the program and were around the horses, they were leaving the stables happy and with a smile”.  Another student took the time after the graduation ceremony to thank each of the horses, as well as the volunteers for helping him face his fears [of the horses] and could not wait to get “back in the saddle”! A third student shared that “although she is not a “people person”, she realized that she is a horse person and asked for an internship at one of the horse farms and would ask her father to let her take horse lessons.

A Graduation Ceremony marked the end of the program during which each of the MPA (AVA) students received personal awards acknowledging their compassion, commitment, and participation. By the last day, AVA students Chloe and Shade were all smiles as they mounted and rode their new equine best friends “Findlay” and “Faith” one final time.

 

 

Along the Pond: Disconnecting and Reconnecting

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With open skies, in a uniquely safe location with a welcoming calm pond lying before them, a small group of MPA students and Faculty explored the possibilities and created a space of their own during a three day overnight stay in Maine. The therapeutic experience was designed to blend outdoor recreational activities and learning – to “disconnect” from the busy ‘real’ world and to “reconnect” with others and the serene surroundings.

For MPA students and MPA Faculty members Rebekah Crane, Sean Conley, Betzimarie Marlowe, the planning and preparation began with Mike Adamkowski and his crew at Upper Valley Stewardship Center. Pre-trip icebreaker group activities including time on the ropes course to facilitate team building. During lessons, the students were reminded of the location, duration, and camping expectations for the trip. Working together to load the vehicles brought the group together before setting out for the destination some 4 hours away.

Camping produces a wonderful assortment of educational opportunities. For kids, time spent engaged in hands-on activities is time spent learning and is one of the reasons MPA’s Experiential Programs are so valuable. They facilitate experiences that are built around kids learning new things.

In addition to having some plain ol’ fun, MPA students practiced teamwork, respect for the environment, tolerance and self-regulation, and cooperative social skills while enjoying a large variety of activities in the great outdoors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The days around the pond included fishing, cooking, hiking, tying knots, fire-starting, safety, first aid and much more. Each of these skills was part of the experience of the trip. Add in scouting for tent and hammock locations, watersports, shared meals, kayaking, campfires, games, wood chopping and splitting, badminton, and paddleboarding, and it is hard to believe it was 3-day excursion!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During dinners, expertly prepared by designated camp chef and MPA Faculty member Sean Conley, the students discussed group and individual goals therapeutically while reflecting on and planning the next day’s responsibilities and activities.

 

A movie in the pavilion was followed by a campfire complete with far too many s’mores and the required comradery and storytelling that recounted the day’s events.

 

MPA Faculty wanted the boys to have a memento to bring home with them from this camp experience.  Customizing their own pond tie-dye shirts was an activity each student loved and was a group activity lauded by all involved.

To say this trip was successful is an understatement. The group successfully discovered new swimming spots, camping areas, and identified other points of interest for further exploration for future groups. The experience that the pond provided was exceptional and beyond their initial expectations. It was evident from the student’s reactions that this experience allowed MPA students to find solace and normalcy in chaos and excitement. They were proud to be there, happy to be there with each other, and excited for their inevitable return.

MPA Faculty and Students with their Tie-dye Shirts share the view.

MPA Faculty and Students with their Tie-dye Shirts share the view.

Mount Prospect Academy is excited to see how this camp experience will grow and provide continued benefits to our students.

Making the Mark

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On Friday, July 19th, 2024, MPA Faculty and Administration hosted an Awards Ceremony to celebrate students who made the 4th Quarter Honor Roll and High Honors. More than a dozen MPA Plymouth Cohort students were acknowledged for their commitment to their academics and their outstanding effort. The students represented were from a range of grade levels and programs.

At MPA, academic excellence is but one of the byproducts of the accumulations of everyday actions, thoughts, and lessons that go far beyond the classroom. The gaining of an award can easily be seen as a purpose rather than a byproduct of hard work.

For Mount Prospect Academy these awards are a recognition of the fact that such individual achievement is equally a reflection of support and teamwork provided by those who may be showing them a way forward in other parts of their lives.

 

Principal Micheal Sullivan, along with MPA Faculty members Erika Eastman, Megan Blais, and Meagan Nelson honored each student independently emphasizing their unique attributes along with their scholastic achievements.

A Natural Community

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Throughout the spring semester, MPA Blake Cohort students utilized birds as a model to study climate change and its impacts. Before diving further into avian biology and the unique characteristics that make birds so cool and diverse, MPA students started by learning the basics of birding and bird species ID.  Additionally, as a service-learning project, students surveyed, designed, and planned the Pollinator Garden complete with plant species native to New Hampshire!

Lead by MPA Faculty member Emily Tomak, MPA students were instructed as to how to plan, prepare, and implement each step of the multi-faceted project.

Before breaking ground, students proposed their plan to MPA Head of Schools Jay Marshall and Pike Academic Principal, Carl Chambers.

Students learned the importance of maintaining vast biodiversity with largely native species to provide birds and pollinators with easily recognizable food sources. Everything from material costs to geography and landscape considerations, the needed background education in the applicable sciences, and the overall aesthetic were part of the interactive learning process. Websites that simulated varying conditions and environmental impacts for the planned space were used as well.

 

Through experiments and projects, students recognized first-hand how climate change occurs and how it can impact not only birds, but every living thing on the planet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The completed garden space provides an important stop for wildlife and can be utilized as a safe outdoor space for students.