Oliverian School

Previous Professional Experience: The Oliverian School

The following description comes from the "About Oli" page on the Oliverian School website (Oliverianschool.org), "Oliverian School is a non-profit, alternative, college and life-preparatory boarding high school offering academic, counseling, and social-skills support for bright adolescents who have not thrived in traditional settings.  Oliverian occupies a unique space between a traditional and therapeutic school, providing the right levels of support and guided independence necessary so that students can contribute to any situation and successfully find and occupy their unique place in the world.  Our supportive academic and student-life program helps students embrace their identity, purpose, and voice, preparing them for the emotional, social, and academic demands of college and beyond."

When I joined the Oliverian School I was hired as the first full-time Adventure Teacher. The Oliverian School has what they refer to as the "Pillars" the Pillars are at the core of the Oliverian experiential program and they include, art, music, land stewardship, and adventure. I was tasked with designing and implementing an academic adventure program and co-curricular outdoor program. Previously, I was the Adventure Coordinator at the Upper Valley Stewardship Center (UVSC) which is a non-profit educational outdoor center that offered ropes course facilitation, wilderness trips, gear rental, and custom adventure experiences for schools and young people throughout Northern New England. While working at the UVSC I had facilitated a new student orientation for the Oliverian School and I was immediately intrigued with the individualized relational approach. Fast forward 3 years, and the Oliverian School Adventure Curriculum and co-curricular program reached institution support and became sustainable. I created the risk management policies & procedures, 12 adventure based courses, designed and coached a ski team and rock climbing team, and led over 35 expeditions serving hundreds of students. By the time decided to move onto higher education to pursue my graduate degree I was the Dean of Pillars and responsible for managing the music, art, stewardship, and adventure programs.

A quick story - Every student at the Oliverian School has a team of adults to support them, the team includes: an academic advisor, wellness advisor/counselor, and team lead. One the students who I was the team lead for returned from school break and was found to have consumed an alcoholic beverage on their way back to campus. Now, in a standard "Zero Tolerance" school this student would have been suspended and likely expelled immediately. School leadership, the team, and the student held a meeting to determine disciplinary actions. At the time I was entrenched in marathon canoe racing and ultramarathon trail running; so I suggested that the student wake up at 430AM every day for 45 days to exercise for 90 minutes in the morning supervised and coached by me. The caveats of this was that all activity was outside (It was late october in Northern New Hampshire), they had to attend all classes, maintain adequate grades, and avoid violating any other rules. What occurred over the next 45 days was stunning. the student struggled and struggled but, began to find that they were building confidence, grit, and perspective. This student ultimately decided to pursue a career in outdoor education and recently graduated college and landed a job in the field.