To Whom It May Concern:
For many years I referred adolescents to
organizations such as the Outward Bound or National
Outdoor Leadership School that offered outdoor
programs. I found that the challenges that the
adolescents faced within physically difficult
environments led them to know that they could take
charge of their lives in practically any situation. They learned to live cooperatively with
teenagers from a variety of cultures, and when they
returned to their own neighborhoods, they tended to
take charge of their lives more certainly.
Mr. Cullinane’s boarding school, however, had
an additional plus. It was organized to offer a
family setting in which a wide variety of farm- and
home-maintenance skills were added to the academics
and outdoor leadership training. Within that setting
the students came to feel like brothers and sisters;
they worked, played, and adventured together,
becoming, along the way, emotionally close and thus
strengthened.
In my follow-up contacts with these adolescents
and their families, I observed that this closeness
continued through phone calls, letters, and, in some
cases, annual returns to Idaho, where those bonds are
reinforced. This degree of bonding is rare in our
society, and that is unfortunate, because it
strengthens a person’s mental and emotional
stability. I was able to see that AR students had
learned well and that they tended to retain what
they had learned very well.
Sincerely,
Dr. David B.
Educational Consultant
Columbus, Ohio