Blog Archives

High 5 Adventure Learning Center Course offered in May

1/26/2016

2 day Facilitation Intensive / plus 1 day Advanced Technical Skills with High 5

May 31 - June 2, 2016

Oswegatchie Educational Center is excited to host the following training, scheduled for May 31-June 2, 2016. This is the same program High Five facilitates at their center in Vermont. Hiring the trainers to provide the program at Oswegatchie will give a savings and convenience to all that attend.

To see the course as listed by High Five Adventure, go to http://high5adventure.org/training/facilitation-skills-intensive/

Course Description
This two day facilitation skills workshop will focus upon participation in peer led adventure activities involving games, initiatives and low elements. Participants will have an opportunity to work with one another to enhance their facilitation skills and style as they give and receive feedback from one another. This highly interactive model provides a unique setting for participants to examine their facilitation style in a highly supportive and engaging environment.
Participants will:

Give and receive feedback from your peers.
Examine your personal style of facilitation Increase your repertoire of techniques
Set professional goals for the development of your facilitation skills
Participate in a goal focused teaching environment

This course will not only sharpen your facilitation skills, if your goal is to be a teacher, a leader, or in any position that will work directly with people then the 2 day facilitation intensive course will greatly benefit you. The advanced technical skills course is for upper level ropes course people that want to learn more about high elements.

Sincerely,
Veronique Krohn
vkrohn@oswegatchie.org
(315) 346-1222

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Cross Country Skis at Oswegatchie

1/25/2016

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Oswegatchie had a milestone recently. Thanks to a few different sources and programs, we have our first fleet of BRAND NEW cross country skis!

Dear Winter Guests,

Oswegatchie has just added an exciting new program for winter groups!

Cross County Skis will be available on your next visit. Through grant funds and a donation we have purchased 20 sets of skis and poles with 30 pairs of boots for size variation.

The options for use will include:

1. A 2-3 hour guided tour, $10 per student, with a minimum fee of $100. Max number would be 20 participants per trip as long as shoe sizes work out.

2. Rent sets for day use, a Saturday rental will be $20 per pair with the option to switch out boots as often as needed. (if students will leave the field, they need the supervision of an adult to participate in the trip)

We are working on plans to have groomed paths, including a loop around the field for students to get the feel of the experience before hitting the trails.

If you think you would like a guided trip, advance notice would be appreciated so that we can plan to assign staff. If you just wish to rent a few sets you can request them from your weekend host when you arrive.

In comparison to our snow shoe program, the skis work best for smaller groups, maxing at 20 participants. If interested in one large group trip, snowshoes are ideal.

The Sidney FFA alumni group had a hand in this, as well as the proceeds from the Farm Credit East North Country 5K Challenge this fall. Kids from all over the country will be getting a chance to break them in this weekend. Also thanks to Mountain Man Sports in Old Forge for the great discount.

What does this mean for Oswegatchie guests? Guests staying overnight in either Sutliff or Foster Lodge will have the opportunity to rents skis or take guide programs from our staff.

Day time guests will soon have the ability to purchase day passes for use on our trails. Oswegatchie will be doing basic grooming with a snowmobile and use trail marked paths.

Our trails over lap Prentice Road on the south end of Long Pond!

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Long Pond melting in the sprng

1/25/2016

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We do our best to create new content and share what happens at Oswegatchie. However, we have gotten so busy and productive with groups, it gets hard to share all things Oswegatchie.

In 2014, I put a trail camera up to capture the 2 week stretch of pond melting. Throughout that time period, its snowed, rained, and warmed with the sun. Unfortunately, I mounted it to the flag pole, which moved in the wind and changed the camera's angle.

Since it was a trail camera, the file formats were difficult to translate and edit, but thanks to our friends at Xpedition Outdoors, we are now able to release the footage. The first video is a fast forwarded version of the video. The second video is the full 3 minutes of video of time lapsed footage.

We hope you enjoy!

Bill Waite
Program Director

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"I" Became "we" at oswegatchie

1/12/2016

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One of our favorite groups is LEAD NY. Every other year, a new class starts a two year cycle at Oswegatchie. In their Fall newsletter, the cover piece just happens to be about Oswegatchie! Thank You Anna and the LEAD NY for permission to share this article.

Learn more about LEAD NY by using this link or by reading their newsletter at the bottom of this post.

Anna Supp, Farm Business Advisor, Farm Credit East

We Are LEAD Class 16

By: Anna Supp, Farm Business Advisor, Farm Credit East

It was already dark as we set off on foot down the road, the group percolating with a nervous energy. Light-hearted chatter and laughter peppered the cold night air. Perhaps it was the novelty of the situation, or the stress of the long day finally bubbling over, but we were giddy, almost childish in our jokes and banter. As we turned off the road, and into the woods, the disorienting darkness crept in quickly. It pressed down around us, and we turned to each other for guidance. Is that you? Give me your hand. Hold my jacket. Who’s at the end? Watch out for the roots, step up ahead! Looking like a troupe of circus elephants- and not particularly quieter- we guided each other through the dark. Log to your left. Is everyone ok? Don’t worry, I’m right here in front of you.

Don’t worry. I’m right here.

If we had a weakness as a group, it was staying quiet, and the laughter and chatter continued on deep into the night. Trekking along in near blindness, swapping stories and laughing aloud, we moved as one unit, as one class. Occasionally we stumbled, but somewhere in the middle of the line, in the middle of the woods, in the middle of the night- “I” became “we”, and we became LEAD class 16.

LEAD class 16 is a group unlike any other. It is made up of individuals, and as individuals we are diverse, to be sure. All of these people have come from different backgrounds, different schools, different companies and careers. They grow grapes, beans, hops, cranberries and cows. They are educators, advisors, producers, salesmen and lenders. They work in the public sector, on family farms, for themselves and for private corporations. They have faced adversity, they have received diplomas, degrees, awards, and accolades.

They represent a range of religions, hobbies, hometowns and opinions. They have been to other countries, come from other countries, and speak other languages. They have built businesses, built families, and they have built communities. They are parents, spouses, siblings, fiancées and friends. They are introverts, extroverts, dreamers, planners and doers. Each individual, in their own right, has accomplished great things.

But together, WE are LEAD class 16. We are supportive, inclusive and accepting. Together we are something greater than we were alone. We have heard the stories of the classes before us, that’s true. We’ve heard of the amazing opportunities and experiences, of the depth of self-awareness and personal growth other classes have experienced. Their stories, accomplishments, and enthusiasm are what drove many of us to be here. We are grateful for the opportunities and the inspiration they have provided us. Our journey, however, will be unique and wholly our own. We are poised to create our own identity over the next two years and, thank you Ted, for the rest of our lives.

We are LEAD class 16. We are a team, a class, an army and a congregation. We are the future of this industry we all serve. As leaders we are young, just beginning to recognize what that may mean. We have accepted this challenge, this journey before us, and we welcome it. It is not something we take on lightly. As individuals, we are anxious about the years ahead. We worry about the time away from families and careers; we worry about testing personal limits and comfort zones, and exposing weaknesses. As a class, however, we are open, we are committed, and we are ready. There will be plenty of roots and logs to trip over as we go. We have each other, and we know that when we start to stumble, there will be someone behind us, and someone in front of us. Is that you? Take my hand.
In the spring of 2017, we’ll complete this leg of our journey, hand in hand. We’ll take a final head count, be sure everyone arrived safely, and the lines will blur again. We will become as we were individuals, and go back out to our communities, our companies, our families and our businesses as leaders- and at the same time, we will become more. We will become LEAD alumni, and we will link hands with a fraternity of leadership that spans generations, industries, and countries. Together we will all be something far greater than we were alone. We are LEAD class 16, and we’re on our way.

- Anna Supp

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High 5 Adventure Learning Center Course offered in May

2 day Facilitation Intensive / plus 1 day Advanced Technical Skills with High 5

May 31 - June 2, 2016

Cross Country Skis at Oswegatchie

Long Pond melting in the sprng

"I" Became "we" at oswegatchie

Experiencing Oswegatchie

Archives

Categories

Oswegatchie is Owned & operated by the New York FFA Foundation

High 5 Adventure Learning Center Course offered in May

​2 day Facilitation Intensive / plus 1 day Advanced Technical Skills with High 5

May 31 - June 2, 2016

Cross Country Skis at Oswegatchie

Long Pond melting in the sprng

"I" Became "we" at oswegatchie

Experiencing Oswegatchie

Archives

Categories

Oswegatchie is Owned & operated by the New York FFA Foundation

2 day Facilitation Intensive / plus 1 day Advanced Technical Skills with High 5