New Herricks teachers climb ropes to raise game

Noah Manskar

New teachers in the Herricks Union School District got the school year off the ground last weekend — literally.

While an orientation program for newcomers is par for the course, Herricks takes a different approach by holding part of its two-day program on the high ropes course at Herricks High School.

Getting new teachers to take on obstacles together for a few hours pushes them “out of their comfort zones” and “helped them understand how many students feel when they are outside their comfort zones,” Herricks Superintendent Fino Celano said in a release.

“The activity strengthened our teachers’ ability to relate to and empathize with their students,” he said.

The district has taken new teachers on the high ropes course for the past 10-12 years, said Jim Petriccia, director of physical education at Herricks High.

It’s been effective, he said, because it gets teachers from across the district to interact in a way they rarely would otherwise.

“Whether they overcame a fear or challenged themselves in a way the never thought they would, they shared that experience with some other new staff members, so they have an instant connection,” Petriccia said.

Before getting started on the course, the teachers played games to get to know each other. Then, clad in harnesses and helmets, they cooperated to navigate logs and loops in “vertical playpens” about as high off the ground as a telephone pole.

For Lyndsey Desarbo, a new third grade teacher at Denton Avenue School, the high ropes activities were successful in getting the teachers to bond and work together.

“There was a lot of teamwork involved as we watched people overcome their fears,” she said.

East Setauket-based Visionary Adventure built the high-ropes course and its low-ropes counterpart for “outdoor learning area” at Herricks High. 

The company’s staff, as well as principals and administrators from Herricks district schools, were on hand during the training session.

The teachers also took in some lessons about technology in the classroom, the district’s administrative procedures and services and the professional development opportunities at their disposal.

Petriccia said the district has considered taking more of its staff onto the high ropes course for some “non-traditional” bonding in the future.

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