River Lessons is a series of blogs from our students’ perspectives. Students recently reflected on their Treks experiences through writing and made connections to the Lessons of the Medicine Wheel and the 4 aspects of self they learn to explore while enrolled at Cherokee Creek: the Warrior, Visionary, Healer and Teacher.

Student: Mike
Aspect: Warrior
Statement: I am Courageous

“The Warrior is someone who shows up and chooses to be present. The I am statement courage was used more than any other skill on Trek. I used courage when I set up my tent in a difficult staking area, hiking Tallulah Gorge, sliding on the rock and talking to two girls, Danielle and Stephanie, and was able to ask for Danielle’s number in front of a big group of people. I had many self-confidence struggles before I came to CCBS and feel I made a huge change in one social conversation.”

Don’t you just love Mike’s courage and the way he stood up for himself!? He so clearly defines a rite of passage when he describes the, “huge change in one social conversation.”

Where do you stand up for yourself and declare your own value? When have you had to gather every drop of your own self-confidence to address a situation?

Cherokee Creek Boys School is a therapeutic boarding school for middle school boys, ages 11-15, located in Upstate South Carolina.

We continue the River Lessons, a series of blogs from our students’ perspectives. Students recently reflected on their Treks experiences through writing  and made connections to the Lessons of the Medicine Wheel and the 4 aspects of self they learn to explore while enrolled at Cherokee Creek: the Warrior, Visionary, Healer and Teacher.

Student: Scott
Aspect: Healer
Statement: I am Joyful

“I think on Healer I’ve been more joyful because I can always have fun on Trek even if it does not go as planned. Another reason why I think I have been more joyful is because when I’m not on Trek I can just let things go and I can almost always be more joyful.”

Scott makes the ultimate “go with the flow” statement, doesn’t he? This statement is a great Healer-Teacher combination of joyful participation and flexibility – the perfect river lessons.

Are you inclined to “go with the flow” and find the fun in most situations? What are the fun activities in your life that allow you to be open to outcome?

Cherokee Creek Boys School is a therapeutic boarding school for middle-school boys, ages 11-15, located in Upstate South Carolina.

Prepared for a transition! Steve readying his climbing gear for a river crossing.

Steve and I found a cliff that had never been climed before! Looking through our binoculars we estimated the cliff was about 200 feet high. We wanted badly to be the first climbers to explore the steep cracks and faces, so we marched straight for it. About 100 yards before we reached the cliff we came upon a river that was deep, wide and running swiftly. We walked up and down looking for a way across with all of our gear. Disappointed, we turned back knowing there would be no climbing that day.

We had known where we were starting, and where we were going. We were well equipped for our destination, but had overlooked the territory in-between. Failing to anticipate the transition between where we were and where we were prepared to go only cost us a day of climbing. Imagine what overlooking a transition in other life situations might cost…

William Bridges describes the space in-between old ways and new ways as Neutral Zones. A Neutral Zone stands between where you have been and where you want to be. Anticipating, preparing and deliberately taking the time to cross the Neutral Zone can make the journey much more pleasant and will ensure your arrival.

The challenge for all of us is to spend time preparing for the neutral zone, just like we do for our destination!

The very next weekend my climbing partner and I better anticipated the transition, carried a small inflatable raft out to the river, took our time crossing, and arrived on the other side ready to begin our adventure!

David LePere is the Executive Director of Cherokee Creek Boys School, a therapeutic boarding school for middle-school boys, ages 11-15, located in Upstate South Carolina.

Therapists Jane Barker, Robin Hagy and Erin Maurer will begin a new round of focus groups tomorrow. These psychoeducational groups afford the boys an opportunity to gain information and skills that will be helpful in dealing with specific issues. Jane will focus on non-traditional family situations, Robin on family dynamics and Erin on boundaries and assertiveness. Focus groups generally run from 8 to 10 weeks and change to reflect particular needs or issues within the school’s population.

This week we continue the River Lessons, a series of blogs from our students’ perspectives. Students recently reflected on their Treks experiences through writing and made connections to the Lessons of the Medicine Wheel and the 4 aspects of self they learn to explore while enrolled at Cherokee Creek: the Warrior, Visionary, Healer and Teacher.

Student: Ben
Aspect: Visionary
Statement: I am Creative

“I am creative. I was able to make a “think-fast” decision when I missed the course on the rapid. The creativity flung me over a rock avoiding the hydraulic sideways and landing me at the bottom. This has also helped me gain confidence.”

Ben details well the creativity involved with problem solving as he adapted to his circumstances. He reminds us that we can always make a different choice.

What circumstances bring forth your creative best? When facing a situation where you need to “think-fast,” how do you respond?

*A hydraulic is a river feature where the water flows over a smooth ledge and then rolls back towards the ledge. In smaller rapids they become fun spots to play by keeping your boat on the wave – or “surfing”. In larger rapids their “sticky” nature makes them a hazard best to be avoided.

Cherokee Creek Boys School is a therapeutic boarding school for middle-school boys located in Upstate South Carolina.

Getting to know each other on the front porch

Charlie walked up the steps to Cherokee Creek Boys School on his first day…eyes averted, head down, anxious and awkward. “Hi, I’m Josh,” said one of the veteran students as he walked up to Charlie with his hand held out in greeting. Charlie gave a half-hearted hand shake and mumbled his name. Josh said, “Hey, look, let me show you around some; we can shoot pool or something.” Within 30 minutes Josh and Charlie were talking, shooting pool and becoming fast friends.

Josh was filling the role of “student mentor,” who helps orient a new student to his surroundings. Cherokee Creek Boys School is “the small school with a big heart,” and Josh was doing one of the things that helps to make a new student feel safe and comfortable. A student’s perspective of what is important to know is often different from a staff’s perspective. A student can relate well to another student, which in turn helps ease the transition into the new environment.

Coming full circle, here was this confident and reassuring mentor who just 14 months earlier was the awkward, scared and unsure new student himself.

Whom do you mentor, and who mentors you?

Phil Fairbrother is the Operations Director at Cherokee Creek Boys School, a therapeutic boarding school for middle-school boys ages 11-15 in Upstate South Carolina. Phil has been with CCBS since 2003.

The boys check their haul in the seine net

Selecting samples for further examination

Last week’s great academic adventure – Pontoon Classroom! Teachers Butch Clay, Nick Linscott and James Holcomb took 25 students and examined the watershed health and quality of Lake Keowee. They collected insects and invertebrates and returned to their make-shift lab at High Falls County Park to make identifications and draw conclusions. Our current students were able to compare their findings to those of their predecessors – other CCBS students and alumni from the past two years of Pontoon Classroom participation.

Collecting critters in Fall Creek

Other scientific experiences included collecteing fish samples with a seine net as well as their fishing poles. Water clarity was determined by direct observation – swimming! All of the boats were captained by local community members  who volunteer their pontoon boats and time to ferry students of this Clemson University Extension program.

Over the past few weekends, as our students have returned from their most recent Trek, they have been asked to do some writing about their experiences. At Cherokee Creek Boys School, we use the Lessons of the Medicine Wheel (see graphic below) to teach boys about the 4 aspects of self that they explore while they are with us: the Warrior, Visionary, Healer and Teacher. Throughout July and August we are sharing a handful of the boys’ responses. To no one’s surprise, the students often become the teachers…

Student: Davis
Archetype: Warrior
Statement: I am Courageous

“One month ago I embarked on my first Trek, whitewater rafting on the Nantahala River. Since it was my first time in whitewater, I was to say the least, scared! Which brings me to the Warrior archetype and its courage. Once I rode the first rapid my courage swelled and I began to enjoy the experience. I thought about chickening-out, but I knew that I needed to stand up and be present while showing courage and a good attitude. And in the end I made it down the whole river and had a great time.”

Davis perfectly articulates what it means to, “show up and choose to be present.” Instead of opting out of a new experience he pushed forward, experiences courage, and had a great time!

How do you respond when faced with a situation for the first time? In Davis’ terms, when have you felt your courage swell?

Cherokee Creek Boys School is a Therapeutic Boarding School for middle-school boys ages 11-15 in Upstate South Carolina.

A CCBS student enjoys a reading break outside

One of the students at Cherokee Creek Boys School ran up to me first thing in the morning, “David, look at this book I’m reading! It’s 400 pages long!” He was jumping up and down with excitement, “Wow!” I said, followed by a quick, “Right on, you’re awesome!”  And it was easy to get excited with him, because I remember having the same thrill when I finished The Hobbit – my first long, grown-up book.

He continued crowing, “This is 4 times longer than any other book I’ve read, and it’s awesome!” It was great to be around his enthusiasm for reading! Now that this student has felt such joy about reading, I hope he is a reader for life! At Cherokee Creek Boys School, reading is a pathway to self-discovery. When we minimize the amount of “screen time” reading becomes another source of entertainment, a place where incremental success can be built into a source of self-confidence, and is the backbone of our “hero study” assignments.

Pick up a book and get excited!

If you are interested in reading about parenting Middle School Boys, our staff have put together a recommended reading list for you.  This list is not exhaustive, and there are many other texts, novels, stories, folk tales, fables, and parables that are great resources for the journey of discovery that is parenting. We do not have to make it up as we go, or just do it the way our parents did. Experience is a valuable teacher, and we can take advantage of other people’s experiences!