/ on campus /
What • Who • Why What I The Adventure Challenge Who I Glenn Minshall and Steve Allison of NMH’s Outdoor Program
Every year, NMH puts its own twist on a triathlon. Instead of running, swimming, and road biking, teams of two people take on a 1.7-mile mountain bike ride, a lap around Shadow Lake in a canoe, and an orienteering session in the woods around campus. Typically, more than 100 people—mostly students, but sometimes faculty, staff, and alumni—participate in each Adventure Challenge. Launched about a decade ago, the Adventure Challenge now attracts a mix of contestants. Some are outdoor-program regulars familiar with mountain bikes and canoe paddles; others are traditional athletes taking a brief break from fall sports. The Challenge also has evolved into a kind of social icebreaker activity: resident leaders—the students who serve as peer mentors in the dorms—each form a team with a new student whom they don’t know well.
Northfield Mount Hermon Summer Session june 29–august 3, 2013
“The people on each team have to work together, discuss their skill sets, and strategize,” says Glenn Minshall, director of NMH’s Outdoor Program, which puts on the Adventure Challenge. Some students prepare by actually learning how to ride a bike; others must adapt from the soccer field and basketball court to topographic maps and rocky trails in the woods. Minshall and Steve Allison, who helps run the Outdoor
Program, truck NMH’s 110 bikes to the starting line, rent canoes to beef up the school’s 12-boat fleet, and invite lots of volunteers to help produce the event. The average time for completing the course: about one hour. “It’s an opportunity to confront challenges and succeed,” Minshall says. “It’s not about winning. Though we welcome the competitive spirit, it’s always the last people to cross the finish line who get the loudest cheering.”
Earn credits to advance in school. Build skills and accelerate academic progress. Sample boarding school life or come as a day student. COLLEGE PREP For students entering grades 10–12. For credit or enrichment. Courses include U.S. History, Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Precalculus, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Literature, Writing, Economics, and others. MIDDLE SCHOOL PROGRAM For students entering grades 7–9. Courses include Writing, Pre-Algebra, Field Biology, Geography, Spanish, French, Studio Art and others. ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE For students entering grades 7–12. Levels from beginning to advanced. Practice in the areas of listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
www.nmhschool.org/summer Northfield Mount Hermon Summer Session One Lamplighter Way, Mount Hermon, MA 01354 413-498-3290 summer_school@nmhschool.org
10 I NMH Magazine
Photos: Glenn Minshall
Why I To help students get outside, work together, and gain confidence.