Class of 1W6 Bonds, Learns About Teamwork

The class of 1W6 became a little bit closer after Freshman Team Building Day on Oct. 4. The day featured fun, solving problems as a group, and bonding.

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The freshmen were divided into groups by shop and spent the entire day moving from one problem-solving event to another across campus, always working as a group. Events included physically navigating each team member through an elevated geometric shape, designing a way for every member of the group to cross a 20-inch span of grass using limited resources, and lifting a horizontal aluminum pole with each group member using only two fingers while keeping it level, easier said than done.

Each group had two facilitators from the Coalition for Christian Outreach’s Experiential Design Team who specialize in adventure education. Each shop group also had at least one senior who has undergone more extensive leadership training through Williamson’s Leadership Training Program as well. The opportunity to utilize their leadership skills allows them to participate and enhance the bond between freshmen and seniors.

The day was originally designed to focus on the freshman class, but the role of the senior leaders has recently taken on more weight. The addition of the senior leaders is a critical step in the leadership training program. Tom Moffitt, dean of students, said that incorporating the seniors into the freshman teambuilding process on a shop by shop basis is as much of a completion point in the leadership training they’ve undergone as it is a jumping off point for the leadership training of the freshman class. “Having the seniors return for freshman teambuilding enhances the overall experience for both groups. The seniors learn to apply their leadership abilities in a group looking for guidance in a challenging scenario and they provide an appropriate model of the senior-freshman relationship by demonstrating that they are invested in the success of the freshman class. For the seniors involved, that experience will benefit them in shop, but more importantly, when they start their first job in less than a year.”

Check out photo highlights on Facebook!

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