Fitch teachers build relationships, 20 feet up
Groton — Deb Jenkins was ready to quit.
The business teacher from Robert E. Fitch High School was almost 20 feet up a tree and on a platform at the Mystic Fields of Fire Adventure Park.
She was supposed to step from the platform onto a log swinging from two wires, and zip line it to the next platform.
“I was crying,” she said.
That’s when her colleague, school counselor Kathryn Mazzarella came in. After much encouragement, Jenkins sat on the log and flew across.
About 100 Fitch teachers spent three hours at the park Wednesday morning as part of a team-building exercise, an activity more commonly sponsored by a business.
“Because we’re not a corporation, you don’t see this as much with schools, but we felt like it was time for us to do some team building,” Assistant Principal Erin McGuire said.
“One of the biggest things every year is relationship building," she said. "It’s not just teacher to student, but student to student and teacher to teacher. And we really thought, it’s important to start the year with strong relationships.”
Aerial adventure parks, popular in Europe and making their way to the United States, are like rope courses in the trees.
Climbers move from one platform to another by crossing obstacles such as logs, cargo nets and bridges that sway in the branches nearly 20 feet up or more. Participants wear harnesses and go through training before attempting a course, then work their way from the easiest to most difficult.
“It was a little bit terrifying,” Mazzarella said.
Administrators mixed the staff among the different departments, grouped them together in teams of 10, then had them climb the course. Teams also worked together on exercises on the ground to win points.
“I think this is very unique. I don’t think anybody’s ever done this,” Fitch High School Principal Joseph Arcarese said. “I’m loving it.”
About half of the employees at Fields of Fire are students who attend Fitch High School, so they watched their teachers try to navigate the courses.
"That's my psychology teacher," said Nicole Vignato, 17, watching Jordan Panucci. "I had him last year and I have him this year, as well. He looks like he's doing pretty well."
If a climber gets in a rough spot, she said staff can usually talk them through it, though they can "rescue" someone if need be.
Fortunately, the teachers didn't need it, she said.
Special education teacher Pam Neidig was afraid of stepping on things that moved. But she had an almost ideal combination of colleagues to back her up — athletic director Marc Romoano and nursing teacher Wendie Brennan.
"I had a nurse in front of me and an athlete behind me. I was all set," Neidig said.
Jenkins was so grateful for Mazzarella's support that Jenkins hugged her.
“I’m still shaking,” she said. “But I did it.”
Comment threads are monitored for 48 hours after publication and then closed.