The memorial service for those kids from my old school was yesterday. I couldn't go,
because I was in Toronto, but I was thinking of them. Funny how even after almost a decade away from
that school, without really contacting anyone there, I still feel a connection to it. I suppose when you
spend ten of the most formative years of your life in a place, it does become a part of you, no matter how
far away you go. The influences you get there, the good and the bad of the school environment. They all
had a part in forming who I am today. I still have dreams of that place and the people I went to school
with. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, really. :)
At any rate, I read every news article I could find about the accident as soon as I found out what happened.
I discovered that one of the kids that died was the brother of a kid I was in band with. He was only in
Grade two when I graduated. I only saw him once, but it still brought home to me the fact that these kids weren't just names to me. I grieved, and wished there was something I could do to help. I read the accounts of the accident, the responses at the school, the grief stricken speeches from the first funeral. And I read with bated breath to see what measures they would take about safety in the OE Program. Would the teachers involved be reprimanded? Would there be pressure from the parents to put a halt to the program?
Reading what happened to on that trip made me think back through the years to when I was on that same trip back in the late 90's. What would it be like to be in a calamity like that? What if it had happened on our trip back then? What would the reactions be now? But most of all, I remember the good things about the trip. About the character building that happened. I remember how much good that OE Program did for me, and for others that have taken it. I don't think there's a single one who regrets it. I don't think there's a single student who didn't have good memories of their experiences there.
I really hope that they don't tame down the outdoor education because of this accident. It was a terrible thing to happen, and I sympathize greatly for those in the school community who feel this loss the most. There wasn't anything fair about what happened. But to stop going out into the Rockies and the Kananaskis Country to test the skills we are taught in the classroom isn't the answer.
I remember taking part in that program when I was in Grade 11. A lot of the things I learned then stay with me now. The director took a chance with me when he let me in. Sure, I still can't start my own campfire, but I did learn a thing or two about perserverance and inner strength. I was the only student who took that program that year who wasn't on a sports team, and had very little strength and endurance training short of what the PE program gave us. I had to work my ass off to just keep up with everyone. But I don't regret taking that program.
If not for all the trips that program took me on, I wouldn't have known what I was capable of. Now,
whenever I face a huge hurdle in my life, I think to myself, "I once climbed some pretty steep mountain
trails. I camped in the woods by myself for a weekend with nothing but a bottle of water and a bag of trail
mix to keep me going. I once braved icy cold winds and snow storms to telemark in the back-country.
Heck, I TELEMARKED! In the BACK COUNTRY!!! I once managed to get myself out of a five foot tree well
with a 50 lb bag on my back. I lived in a snow cave that I made with four other girls. I have faced
incredible loneliness in the wilderness and managed to find beauty there. If I am strong enough and
stubborn enough to get through all of that and still have some modicum of fun while doing it, I think I can
survive this minor psychological hurdle in my life."
So, here's to the STS Outdoor Education Program. Here's to the teachers that gave us the knowledge to
deal with what's out there, who led us into the wilderness to find ourselves, who taught us to respect
Nature and who challenged us to be the best we could be out there. Here's to the kids that have gone to
Rogers Pass time and time again and pitted their wits against Mother Nature and themselves. Here's to
those who gave their lives in the pursuit of a challenge. I didn't know you personally. But I know your
spirits and your hearts. I know your courage, the joy you felt just in being alive. And I greatly admire you
all for it.
KAT
