On Wednesday, February 2, Mother Nature watched over the Thurston Welcome Club as it headed to Hale Reservation. The Westwood area had just received about 20 inches of snow, yet the temperature was unseasonably warm. The conditions were perfect for snowshoeing.
Students in the club participated in two activities led by the experienced staff at Hale: snowshoeing and using a compass for orienteering. They learned that there is quite a variety of snowshoes, and they eventually got all the different bindings on all the students’ feet. They also learned about the metal pick near the front that helps to grip the snow, both when going uphill and downhill. Students were instructed to lean forward to dig the pick into the snow when going uphill, and to lean backward when going downhill so the pick didn’t propel them forward. The middle schoolers tested out the snowshoes on a loop through the woods that brought them back to the Powissett Lodge.
In the second activity, students used a compass to follow a specific bearing and end up at a destination selected by the Hale staff. They learned how to put “red Fred in the shed,” which is apparently a common saying that helps people know which direction is north. When the red needle aligns with the “orienting arrow” on the compass, the orienting arrow points north. Students then learned to spin the compass ring so that the number of degrees of the bearing lines up with the “direction of travel” arrow. This arrow should point away from a person’s chest while walking. Students were able to successfully set their compasses for a given number of degrees and orient their way to the destination marked by the Hale staff.
It was very satisfying to wrap up the day with pizza and s’mores. Hale has a designated fire pit area that was perfect for roasting marshmallows to the desired level of crispness. Lateefah Franck, Director of Equity, Integration, & Community Partnerships, including METCO, closed out the experience by gathering students in a circle and asking them to share their favorite part of the afternoon. Popular responses were that students liked the snowshoeing, the food, and the freedom to throw snowballs.
The Thurston Welcome Club was started in 2019, and students in the club are a mix of returning students and those who are new to the Westwood schools. This includes some students who are Boston-resident students in the METCO program, the second largest and longest-running voluntary desegregation program in the nation. The goal of the Welcome Club is to create a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere for all students in the school system. After having restrictions on in-person activities for so long, it was rewarding to get this group together and help to create authentic connections in a natural setting.
Many of the students in the Welcome Club had never been on snowshoes or tried orienteering before. The Welcome Club thanks the staff at Hale Reservation for exposing the students to these new opportunities. The club also recognizes the Mass Cultural Council for their generous grant funding that made this event possible.
