Many people remember attending High Trails (HT), a week-long wilderness retreat for young teens, years ago. People made friends, had fun, and, best of all, missed school. However, the experience would not have been possible without the help of the HT counselors. 

The opportunity to be a HT counselor is open to all sophomores, juniors and seniors. It is required that potential counselors have decent grades, as they will be missing a week of school. Parent or guardian permission is also required.

Counselors are given the chance to learn many skills which can be important to demonstrate to a college or career, including dependability, communication, commitment, work ethic and leadership.

The counselors will lead and guide the children as they make friends and explore the park. They will also have the opportunity to teach the students important skills such as organization, teamwork and responsibility.

The counselors have a great time as well. “The counselors in specific get to have ice cream parties and goof around with the middle schoolers,” said former counselor Madi Jones. “The week is an incredible experience and I would recommend it to anyone considering.”

The week will not be all fun and games, however. There is never any fun without hard work and HT is no exception. Counselors are expected to look after and guide the sixth graders. They must teach them and assist them along the way.

“You have a lot of responsibility as a counselor,” said Emma Kalbfleisch. “You basically have to be an older sibling to ten sixth graders.”
The program is open to everyone but especially “needs more boy counselors,” said Lu Sultze, who is responsible for recruiting and organizing student counselors. “It is so important to have high school boys to be leaders and mentors.”

The program must have at least four counselors. Counselors are an important part of the experience because the children will look up to them and learn from them. Just the same the counselors can also learn and change because of the students.
“It was a surreal experience,” said Dylan Bedard. “It was like having fifteen kids of my own… you get to know what your parents feel like.”

Students were young and immature when they were at HT. Now, they are grown, responsible men and women.
Now the students of Air Academy can become one of the counselors they looked up to long ago and have the experience of guiding the new children as they begin middle school.

For more information, contact Mrs. Sultze directly or go to www.htoec.org.