Features

Extensive training in Vermont equips teachers to implement school ropes course

Charlotte Berner '25, Staff Writer|October 26, 2022

Teachers Nicole Cumerford and Jeffrey Dornweerd administer the Sophomores climbing the ropes course.

The new phenomenon of Staples High School can be found up above: two ropes courses are now located both inside and outside the school; however, they have left students wondering when they will be granted the opportunity to reach new heights. Standing in between the student’s access to this intriguing phenomenon – a 300 mile road trip and 40 hours of commitment. Luckily, not for them.

To begin using these ropes courses, three physical education teachers at Staples are in the process of becoming certified instructors at High 5 Adventure Learning Center in Brattleboro, Vermont, the same company that installed the course at Staples. This training has been shown to be beneficial to the teachers, as they become knowledgeable in all aspects of adventure education.

“Teachers who go to the training learn a lot of nuances about the equipment,” District Coordinator for Health and P.E. Christine Wanner said. “The technical skills, and also the soft skills that help to have students gain the confidence and willingness to take the risk of climbing or belaying.”

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The ability to facilitate elements and learn essential climbing skills such as belaying is critical for implementing this exciting new challenge course into our already deeply rich curriculum.

— Teacher of Sophomore Cooperation Activities, CJ Shamas.

Teachers of Sophomore Cooperation Activities CJ Shamas, Jeffrey Doornweerd and Nicole Cumerford completed their five day training and have begun to apply their knowledge to Staples’ course. This training required teachers to give up a weekend, along with multiple school days, but has been shown to be worth the time away.

“The ability to facilitate elements and learn essential climbing skills such as belaying is critical for implementing this exciting new challenge course into our already deeply rich curriculum,” Shamas said.

The ropes course at Staples is operated using an Australian belay system, where multiple students must work together to belay an individual. This teamwork necessary to operate the course is another skill teachers perfected in their training, when they bonded with complete strangers to successfully belay one another.

Nathan Hordon ’25 and Dylan Phillips ’25 work on partner climbing at the indoor ropes course. (Photo by Charlotte Berner ’25).

“After a couple of days into the training, ”Doornweerd said, “an outsider would have thought we were all life long friends who had known each other for years and not just met days prior.”

The strong bonds formed through the teacher training has already become instrumental in the Sophomore P.E. class, as certain aspects of the course are starting to be utilized by students.

“I was a little apprehensive at first to climb, but my partner and my classmates definitely helped encourage me,” Sorel Kennedy ’25 said. “It wasn’t scary at all and I felt so secure with the harness and belay team.”

Being able to watch students successfully accomplish personal goals on the adventure course is the true pay off for the training teachers completed.

“Watching students work together and support one another to achieve things that they were not sure they could do alone is what it is all about,” Dornweerd said, “and the students are doing exactly that.”