Zombie Apocalypse Threatens Start of School Year

Along with the typical "start of the school year" activities - reviewing the student handbook, discussing program norms, taking standardized assessment tests - students were informed that they would be test subjects in an Umbrella Corporation experiment (It's a zombie/Resident Evil thing - ask your teenager). Fearing for their lives, the students formulated an escape plan. After by-passing the research facilities security and navigating their way through a monstrous zombie-spider's web, they were relentlessly pursued by brain hungry zombies. Sadly, many of the students were bitten by the zombies and eventually succumbed to the zombie virus, becoming mindless beasts themselves. The remaining students managed to assemble the components for an anti-virus and deliver it to a special recovery team. The valiant efforts of the student have protected Milton from the devastations of a zombie epidemic.

Well . . . OK. That didn't really happen, but it was the scenario played out over the first week of school during several team-building exercises.

Six students and 3 staff participated in the orientation week activities. After some ice-breakers, the class took on the challenge of the Spider Web. The team needed to get from one side of an enormous spider web to the other without touching the web. Each opening in the web could only be used once. Effective communication and entrusting others were skills emphasized.

The next day everyone played in a zombie themed game dreamed up by Mr. Cromley. The rules of the game will be published in another post. The game involved a lot of running, balloons tied to players to represent brains, brain hungry zombies, and (did I mention?) lots of running.

On the last day of orientation week, students learned how to use a GPS. Then, using GPS coordinates that would lead to the zombie anti-virus, the class hiked to the Milton State Park and recovered the anti-virus. En-route, they were required to overcome "pit-falls" or team-building challenges. An important lesson was learned about the importance of working together when some students attempted to clear an obstacle without assistance. They were, as individuals, unsuccessful. Nearly half of the group did not make it across when individuals tried to cross. When the team communicated with each other and worked together the challenge was easily mastered.

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After locating the anti-virus, participants met for a barbecue. Discussion during the group meal reflected on the lessons learned during the week.