The leadership conference was a two-day experience from which 10 MBA students were able to take a deeper look at their personal leadership styles and how they can actively engage these skills as a part of their every day life. During this experience the kids were exposed to several different teaching and reflection modalities. These consisted of activities such as; a forum to give positive feedback to a peer through physical touch, a teaching and discussion section from which the kids were taught three leadership styles and eight subset areas of competency or skill.

We also place an emphasis on communication skills, picture this: Your family is all together one night and you choose to prepare a meal together, however instead of all being in the kitchen working alongside one another, the mother is outdoors with the recipe card, the son and daughter are in the kitchen with all the ingredients and the father is responsible for going between the two parties and conveying the directions from the moms recipe card to his kids in the kitchen. This is exactly what we expect the kids to do during this activity and the end result is our meal!!

Day two begins with a 20 minute solo sit along the Deschutes river as the sun rises, a time to slow down from our fast paced world and to give ourselves this gift of introspection and reflection. We then complete a 3-mile hike while along the way engaging in a few group initiatives and challenges. Back at our accommodations the afternoon consists of teaching S.M.A.R.T (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timeline) goals and then having the kids practice writing these and sharing them with peers to review and critique.

To bring this information to a point of practicality the students then design a Leadership Action Plan (LAP). This LAP is intended to address a specific need in our community from which an individual needs to apply some direction of leadership in order to achieve their S.M.A.R.T goal. Along the way a couple movies are shared, discussed and reflective writing assignments are given. In addition by the end of the conference each student designs a small poster that includes a quote relevant to leadership and a separate collage that exemplifies their personal leadership statement. These works are then displayed in a public area on campus for other students to learn and hopefully ask questions from, a catalyst for our leadership conference attendees to share their experience and help educate their peers .The conference was facilitated by Tina Dumenceaux and myself. Matt Hendricks -Phase Two Leader

CAMP CLASSROOM

The NRESD has set up an Outdoor School Program to provide hands on learning in the natural world to sixth grade students. To provide this opportunity, they need high school students to fill the role of cabin counselors. This role includes counseling the homesick or struggling sixth grader, bringing excitement to learning, teaching lessons and leading fun activities and recreations.
On March 30th, twelve of our students and two of our staff ,  RED ASHCRAFT and LAURA MOORE participated in an Outdoor School Program called Westwinds, located near Lincoln City on the Oregon coast. Our students were each in charge of 6-10 sixth graders. Our students were great in this role. Their compassion was evident as they understand homesickness and fear. They excelled as teachers in this natural environment, and proved to be very responsible caregivers and providers of safety.

NEWS from MBA

Bill Hoffman, Program Director for the past eight years and Mount Bachelor employee for the past 18 years, will be developing a new division at MBA called “Residential Division”. Beginning April 21st, his title will be Residential Director. He will develop and oversee the student services that occur outside of the classroom, group sessions, and Lifesteps. This will include things like dorm life, ACW weeks, student interventions, activities on the weekends and evenings, managing the Program Assistant and overnight staff members, among other things. He will have more face time with students (his specialty), and be able to run some workshops and groups with them. This position is well suited to Bill’s creative energy and we are pleased to be developing these important aspects of our program that, until now, have been too much of a sideline.

A "classic" picture of  Bill Hoffman - 1994

We have a new Program Director, Matthew Lovell, joining us April 21st. Matthew has over 20 years of clinical counseling experience in acute-care, residential treatment centers, therapeutic schools and private practice, working with children, adolescents, and their families. He received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of California at Berkeley, and his Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from John F. Kennedy University. He became a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California in 1998, and Virginia in 2007. He is license eligible as an LPC in Oregon. As an Adjunct Professor at National University, Mr. Lovell has taught courses in child development and family therapy. His former positions include being a founding member of the clinical treatment team at Saint Vincent's Hospital in New York, Program Director at Cascade School, and private practice Family Therapist and most recently Dean of Advising at Carlbrook School. Matthew is married and has two adolescent children of his own.

Matthew Lovell

FOR MORE PICTURES FROM THE ABOVE EVENTS click here