Fall 2021 SOAR Newsletter

SUMMER CAMP AT SOAR ACADEMY AT SOAR GAP YEAR AT SOAR

NEWSLETTER

Fall 2021

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A Fantastic Start to the 2021-2022 Academy & GAP Year at SOAR!

What a fantastic start we have had to the Academy and GAP Year Programs at SOAR! We are thrilled to be programming in person and so excited for all of the adventures and memories to come! Both the Academy and GAP Year started the semester in early September and have completed their first rotation. Both programs have two phases, a campus or base phase and an expedition phase where participants get to travel out in the real world for two weeks!

In Waynesville, NC, the Academy at SOAR kicked off by welcoming students and their families with an in-person orientation and dinner. The Academy was able to get a few facelifts before the start of the school year bringing color and more fun into the halls! So far our teachers, Gene (humanities), Shelia (English/language arts), Blair (science), and Em (math), have had a great time with the students in class as well as on field trips.

They have been to Western Carolina University, where they attended a Forensic Science lecture with Dr. Becca George, visited the rooftop of the new Apodaca science building with astrophysicist Dr. Gomez, met with author and bird behavior biologist Dr. Jeremy Hyman, and visited the Fine Arts Museum (that was the absolute favorite!). The students were also able to attend a live local theatre production of “The Diary of Anne Frank” at the Hart Theatre in Waynesville.

As for their first expedition of the year, the four houses completed their Triple Threat challenge! Staying close to home, they visited the beautiful backcountry of South Carolina where they went on a backpacking expedition, whitewater rafting on the Chattooga River, and canoeing across Fontana Lake. North house field instructors, Curtis and Tessa, shared, “After an immensely fortuitous and eventful two weeks, we find ourselves back at Folkmoot and getting into the swing of things on campus. Looking forward to our next expedition, where we will be heading towards the Tennessee and Georgia line to backpack the Cohutta Wilderness and do some climbing in Chattanooga, Tennessee!”

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Meanwhile, in Dubois, WY, the GAP Year at SOAR welcomed gappers and their families to Eagle View Ranch for an in-person orientation and introduction! During their first base phase, gappers prepared for their expedition and got to experience their first (tiny) dusting of snow.

The team woke up to a remarkable view of snow-capped mountains in the distance. They have been busy camping in Sinks Canyon, rock-climbing, playing on the Alpine Tower, starting Life Skills Lessons, and planning for future phases of GAP. As for the gapper’s first expedition, the group successfully explored Yellowstone, backpacked in the Wind River Range at Green River Lakes, and rock climbed in City of Rocks in Idaho! The group will soon be starting their first college course at Central Wyoming College and will get a tour, be introduced to the class instructors of their Intro to College course. The team will be completing Life Skills Lessons, volunteering, expedition planning, and adventuring this weekend in Jackson, WY.

It is going to be an amazing year! Stay tuned for more updates!

Stay connected with SOAR on social media so that you never miss out on the Academy and GAP Year updates!

A GAP Year Testimonial

by Collin Anderson

By the end of high school, I was unsure of what I wanted to do. I wanted to go to college, but I was unsure of what major to choose. I did not want to make a rash decision and throw myself to chase something that I may not want to do. My mom found a GAP year called SOAR and it was completely out of my comfort zone at the time. The program consisted of learning essential skills like finance, professionalism, social skills, and leadership in Wyoming while exploring the experience of the great outdoors. I took a chance on the GAP Year, and it became one of the best decisions of my life. I accomplished a lot during my gap year. Some of these achievements include getting Summiting Mountaineer three weeks total, with two of those weeks being back to back. I earned the chance to lead the last expedition, and I gained confidence, leadership skills, and learned how to effectively work with a team. I used what I learned to gain some valuable professional experience in the sports industry by working with FC Tucson, a professional soccer club, during my time at the University of Arizona. However, despite the successes, while at Tucson, it was not the right fit for me due to the school being big. I decided to transfer to Notre Dame College, a smaller school that was more suited to my liking. I gained a wide range of friends and my project before I graduate in a year and a half is to launch the college podcast station. Looking back, I contribute to the increase of my confidence to SOAR. In turn, it has allowed me to believe that a gap year program like SOAR can change a person’s perspective on life if they are willing to follow the guidelines.

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CONGRATULATIONS 2021 5th-Year Campers!

What a summer, SOAR is thrilled to say that we were able to successfully run our summer programs! We had an amazing time in North Carolina, Wyoming, and Florida.

A special thank you goes to all of our campers and their families for making this a summer to remember and one for the books!

We want to give a special shout-out to our newest 5th-year campers. This summer we had a total of 9! Becoming a 5th-year camper at SOAR means you are added to our totem pole which is showcased at our Balsam Base in North Carolina. You are also recognized at the first evening campfire with your group, receive a SOAR day-pack, and get a special certificate at the completion of camp. It is a huge accomplishment and we hope these alumni have had just as much fun as we have on these many adventures we’ve shared!

THANK YOU to Cheryl, Cymone, Ivan, JJ, Katie, Lucie, Maxine, Maxx, and Rowan for your dedication, commitment, and for having fun with us for 5 summers. We are proud of each and every one of you!

Another huge congratulation to these campers, we look forward to their many adventures to come.

We look forward to seeing how many more of you will join the ranks of our 5th-year alumni next summer! If you are looking for a great new experience for next summer, click here to view all of the different sessions we are offering. If you are an alumnus, consider joining us for one of our specialty courses which include Florida SCUBA Openwater, Belize, and Spanish Immersion! And don’t forget about our Early Bird Special! If you register before November 25th you will get $250 off of your 2022 camp session (excluding Christmas Keys Adventure, Christmas Keys SCUBA, and Spanish Immersion).

In the meantime, we hope to see you for the Christmas Keys Adventure from December 27th to January 1st!

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Join Us for Our FREE Webinar Series!

For October join Big John and guest Joan Teach as they discuss “It’s All About Time!”

In our helter-skelter world, time and time again we struggle at being on time, knowing how much time it would take, anticipating how to manage our time.

Come enjoy a walk with your alarm clock into the frustrations of time and how to change and cope with time. We promise you, we’ll have a good time!

Missed a webinar? You can catch up on our website any time at www.soarnc.org/webinars

WE’LL SEE YOU NEXT SUMMER!

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A Note from Big John It was a summer like no other. On June 5th the sounds of children playing, laughing, and learning finally graced our mountain after a break that lasted much too long. We enjoyed the return of so many alumni staff and campers, along with the opportunity to introduce the remarkable community to a whole new group of dynamic young people. Now, as the summer has come to a close we will have to wait 9 months to fully function in the capacity for which it was designed: to bring joy and growth opportunities to the remarkable campers we serve.

As I look back on the summer several accomplishments stand out to me: • Campers returned with a mix of wondrous anticipation and cautious trepidation. The transition back to having in-person experiences was desperately needed.

• The new dining hall and kitchen were a wonderful addition to the facility in Balsam.

• The Wyoming program had its largest enrollment since we opened the facility.

• We had several former students invested in returning as staff to “give back” to the program that had meant so much to them. The sense of commitment and pride these staff had in having a chance to enrich the lives of campers was profound.

I had the honor of working with our Post Graduate program as a course instructor this summer. “The Clever Animals” (our team name) were a delightful group that reminded me why our future is in such good hands. The level of caring and understanding these participants gave to one another was such an inspiration.

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P.O. Box 388 Balsam, NC 28707 828-456-3435 Fax: 801-820-3050

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