OUTDOOR EDUCATION

Helping Build Confidence in Youth

Being a high school counselor at Foothill Horizons Outdoor Education School can have a big impact on a student.  Just ask Hannah Boxell.  An oral/deaf student from Turlock High School, Hannah said she was excited and surprised when she learned she was selected as a counselor and felt that the experience helped her become more self-assured.  “Being a counselor really made me more confident in my abilities to work with children,” said Boxell.  “It also helped me realize how much I enjoy working with children and being outdoors.”

 At Foothill Horizons, junior and senior high school students and college students are recruited as counselors.  While there, they work with the naturalists and teachers to form a teaching and supervision team.  The counselors work closely with the students, sleep in the dorms with them and take them to all of their activities. Naturalist Ben Hoffman, who worked with Hannah throughout the week, said she was a valuable member of the team and a great role-model for the students.  “She reached all of her leadership goals during the week, had great initiative and always participated with enthusiasm,” he said.  “I was really proud of her progression throughout the week.”

Following Hannah’s week as a counselor, her mother called to share that she had returned home a different person - full of self-confidence. “When Hannah came home, she talked nonstop about her experiences.  Just listening to her share stories was a joy,” said her mother, Diane Yonan-Boxell.  “Being a counselor enhanced her leadership and decision-making skills, and boosted her confidence.  Her week as a counselor was simply irreplaceable and we are so appreciative she was given this unique opportunity.”

Because of her experience at Foothill Horizons, Hannah is now thinking about becoming a park ranger or naturalist.  “It would be great if I could work with deaf children in the outdoors teaching them about nature,” she said.