Mike Meldman - Explore Big Sky

Sixth graders learn winter skills at
Sacajawea School’s 17th annual Winterfest
by eMily StiFler
regional
On a Friday in February, Sacajawea Middle School
teacher Peter Jacoby stood in front of a group of his
sixth graders at the old Bear Canyon ski area, teaching
class.
“I’m going to tell you why you should ski in the
backcountry,” Mr. Jacoby said. The kids listened
from a bench, next to a pile of cross-country skis and
boots. “First, you can ski powder,” he said. “From
this trailhead, you could literally ski almost to Salt
Lake City without crossing a road or encountering
anybody… Being in the backcountry is harder work
than riding lifts.”
Mr. Jacoby and two other Sacajawea Middle School
teachers, Cindy Whitmer and Carrie Sampson,
brought more than 90 sixth graders to Winterfest
this year. Together with parents and community
volunteers, they taught: cross country skiing, search
and rescue, avalanche safety and winter camping.
Kids learned how to use avalanche beacons, dig
snow pits and assess stability, build igloos, and set
up a camp and melt water for cooking. Special guests
included avalanche expert Scott Savage and his
search and rescue dog, Gobi, and Angela Patnode
with Friends of the Avalanche Center.
The day was part of a week-and-a-half winter program
that teacher Cindy Whitmer has organized for
17 years. This year, to kick off the week, avalanche
survivor and cyclist Sam Cavanaugh visited the
classes and told his story. In literature groups, the
students read and discussed Jack London’s To Build
a Fire.
“These activities are lifetime opportunities, especially
if the kids stay in Montana,” Whitmer said.
“We take them downhill skiing once a year,
… and we wanted to get kids interested in
cross country skiing and backcountry trekking,
too.”
At one station, students sat in a circle on
a bench dug out of the snow, and Dennis
Treut taught winter camping. Treut showed
his warm sleeping bags, his bivouac sac, and
his big winter backpack. Then they talked
about cooking.
“This is white gas,” Treut said, holding a red
fuel bottle attached to a Whisperlite stove.
“It’s pressurized.” He pointed to the fuel
line where the gas enters the stove. Then he
filled a pot with water and snow and lit the stove.
“Is one bottle enough?” asked a student.
“That depends how long you’re going out for,”
Treut said.
“If you wanted fondue, what would you do?”
“Well, I’ve never done fondue in the backcountry.”
Treut smiled.
“We have wild rice, dehydrated vegetables and
beans, which are lightweight.” Treut handed around
bags of dried food. “We can cook these in the water.”
The snow had melted, so he picked up the steaming
pot and everyone crowded around to look into the
warm water.
“Eew, look at the dirt on the bottom! Do you drink
that?”
big Sky Weekly
BYEp’s Character Education Empowers local Youth
by dave granger
Most people know Big Sky Youth Empowerment
(BYEP) supports local, at-risk youth in ultimate
outdoor adventures like snowboarding, rafting and
climbing. However, fewer folks realize the crux of
BYEP programming is the character education curriculum.
Delivered in weekly regional workshops
to groups of six youth with three adult mentors,
BYEP’s curriculum educates participants on everything
from the essentials of trust and teamwork, to
the importance of community stewardship. BYEP’s
unique blend of character education and stellar
adventures results in broader perspectives, positive
change, and a reduction of problematic behaviors.
Feeling a sense of place in one’s hometown or knowing
where to turn to help a friend in crisis are examples
of qualities and knowledge bases which are
emphasized in BYEP workshops. Beginning with
broader topics like Effective Communication and
honing in on equally important, but far more sensitive
subjects like Suicide Awareness and Prevention,
BYEP workshops provide a safe, confidential
setting for participants to share and become aware.
Regardless of the topic, BYEP workshops always
begin with a “check-in.” Each group member has
the opportunity to share how they are doing and
comment on personally significant current events in
their respective lives. Once check-ins are complete,
groups use various icebreakers
to start thinking about that
week’s workshop topic. At
the beginning of the Identity
and Consumerism workshop,
for example, participants
identify something they feel
they couldn’t live without.
Answers vary from qualities
(“my courage”) to consumable
goods (“my iPod”). What follows
is a lesson plan utilizing
initiatives, which challenge group members to critically
examine who they are and what defines them
at this point in their lives.
In a continuum facilitating group bonding and
growth, BYEP workshops focus on teamwork and
trust, effective communication, identity and consumerism,
conflict resolution, respect and healthy
relationships, suicide awareness and prevention,
drug education, sexual reproductive health, and
stewardship.
BYEP also invites select organizations into its
workshops to create a network of expert support.
Peer educators from MSU’s VOICE Center and
Bridger Clinic inspire participants to think and act
“outside the box” in favor of positive change related
to healthy relationships and sexual reproductive
health. Matt Dexheimer and Jessica Buboltz, representatives
from Bozeman’s HELP Center, educate
group members by highlighting the warning signs,
current statistics, and local support agencies for
suicide.
BYEP’s character education curriculum encourages
participants to be informed, take responsibility for
their actions, and reach positive potentials.
Learn more about Big Sky Youth Empowerment
today, and make a positive connection with your
community. Visit byep.org or call Pete MacFadyen
at (406) 539-0399.
Dave Granger is Program Director for Big Sky
Youth Empowerment.
A serious discussion ensued about the detritus, and
Treut showed how to pour off the water, leaving
the debris in the bottom.
“But do you cook your food in it?”
Treut shrugged. Sometimes you just have to eat a
little dirt.
What’s so great about winter camping, anyway?
“Anybody can do it,” Treut said, in conclusion.
“The nice thing is, it doesn’t cost anything. All you
need to get is your sleeping bag and gear.”
“And it’s really fun!” shouted several sixth graders,
at once.
“If we needed to survive, we know how to do it,”
Alexa Coyle said. “They told us how.”
March 4, 2011 11