Stephanie “Tephra” Tate
“It was after camp [as a Student Leader] when I received a letter from one of the girls [for whom English was a second language] that I realized how beneficial ODS is. The letter (which I still have) talked about how she finally felt that she belonged, had learned so much, and that we were like sisters.”
I was an Outdoor School Student Leader four different times, at four different camps. They were all very unique experiences, where I learned a lot. It was great experience to be able to teach younger kids in an outdoor, hands-on setting. It was always fun watching those kids that were wallflowers and kept to themselves open up, laugh, smile and participate. One particular instance that stands out was a year when there was a group of [English as a second language] girls in my bunk. We got along really well and I made sure that they were engaged in the activities and participated in the camp skits just like every other child there. To me, it was nothing out of the ordinary and the week of learning went by quickly. It was after camp [as a Student Leader] when I received a letter from one of the girls [for whom English was a second language] that I realized how beneficial ODS is. The letter (which I still have) talked about how she finally felt that she belonged, had learned so much, and that we were like sisters. It warmed my heart to see how much the experience meant to her and showed me how the littlest action on my behalf had a huge impact on someone else.
