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Inner City Outings trip organizer Ray Greenwell had just walked away from the group to go register everyone for a day of orienteering at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation. Within seconds of his departure, odd noises and laughter were emanating from the energetic mixture of ICO volunteers, ELLIS Preparatory High School students, and teacher chaperones in the parking lot.
"Wa!"
"Waaaaaaaa!"
Although a cool breeze, threats of rain and mid-40-degree temperatures dominated the morning forecast on this second day of spring, weather did not dampen any spirits. New volunteer Bereket Abraham stepped up and organized the game, “Waa!”, sending everybody into a goofy, light-hearted mood. For a group that largely did not know each other, the stage was set for a fantastic day ahead.
Four students from the English Language Learners and International Support (ELLIS) Preparatory Academy in the Bronx came out for the hike and orienteering training up in Westchester. Despite the 1 train cutting off service from 96th street up to the Bronx, that did not stop Cesar, Walkiria, Danny and Aymen from coming. Hailing from Honduras, Dominican Republic, and Yemen, respectively, these students have all recently moved to the US and now attend the only international transfer public school in New York. The students were accompanied by their teacher, Krisy, and student teacher, Nicki, and were joined by seven ICO volunteers – many who were going on their first program trip.
After arriving to Ward Pound Ridge – the largest park in the county – in a nostalgia-inducing giant yellow school bus, the group split into two smaller orienteering teams. Equipped with several compasses and park maps, teams raced against the clock to locate and find a series of orange markers throughout the park. These markers, which required you to insert a key fob to track your progress and accuracy, are not located conveniently along a cut trail or road, but rather are spread throughout and often required scampering off trail, bushwhacking through thorny brush, or scrambling up hilly terrain and rocky outcrops. Teams hiked through the beginner course in the morning, and finished the day with the intermediate loop.
Cesar and Walkiria led one group, while Danny and Aymen paved the way for the other team. While English is not their first language, teams were able to communicate and work well together through various means. The day provided many great opportunities for volunteers and students to teach and learn Spanish, Arabic and English from each other, that helped to foster a comfortable, friendly environment for everybody. There was also a visible transformation throughout the courses where the four students broke out of their shy shell, asserted themselves, took the lead to seek out markers.
Whether teams were racing ahead to try and beat each other, or stealthily maneuvering to lose the other group, everyone had an excellent time. The pleasant hikes were supplemented with a brief maple syrup lesson and hanging out in the Trailside Nature Museum – one of the first interpretive nature centers in the US. Signs of spring even came out in the afternoon, as the sun, clear blue skies and warmer weather made for a perfect way to end the day. Ray was pleased with how the event turned out and welcomed the new volunteers with open arms. “It is great to have so many new volunteers. It was a glorious day and I am really glad to be here.”