OHS Students Return From Leadership School

Nine Olney High School students returned home this month with sore muscles, unforgettable memories, and a new understanding of leadership after completing a seven- day expedition on Utah’s Green River through the prestigious National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS).

The expedition took students Kailyn Altmiller, Will Caffey, Sawyer Edgington, Nate Elmore, Jeffry Flores, Pedro Gonzalez, Maddox Johnson, Morgan Simmons, and Ava Stewart through 67 miles of remote canyon country, where they learned to paddle canoes, establish camps, prepare meals from scratch and, perhaps most importantly, lead one another through challenges.

OHS science teacher Will Stewart and OISD Superintendent Dr. Matt Caffey accompanied the group on the trip, which Stewart described as “the best possible experience” he could have hoped for.

lessons about working with others and being part of a team will stay with students far beyond the course. Challenges that students face going forward will seem more manageable because the students who participated know that they can do hard things. It was a privilege for Mr. Stewart and I to witness this process and watch our students grow through it.

Founded in 1965, NOLS has earned an international reputation for developing leaders through outdoor expeditions. Its alumni include Netflix co-founder Marc Randolph, journalist Anderson at the end of the trip captured everything the experience meant.

“The most important memory was definitely a few hours before we left the base,” Mr. Elmore said. “Another camper brought a guitar and was singing a few songs with the dawn behind him. One of the camp instructors started joining in, and it was a gorgeous duet under the dim-lit sky that made shivers go down my spine. It really made me appreciate the trip as a whole and the connections I gathered.”

Mr. Elmore said the lessons learned on the river will stay with him long after graduation.

“I’m planning on taking the skills I’ve learned into the work field and in college,” he said. “Using the skills I learned from “Our instructors were fantastic,” Mr. Stewart said. “But what really stood out was how much they bragged on our kids. They talked about how respectful they were, how willing they were to help, and how they stayed focused on the job until it was done.”

Cooper, John F. Kennedy Jr., and astronaut Scott Kelly. Before the Olney students departed, Mr. Randolph recorded a special video message encouraging them to embrace the adventure and the opportunities for personal growth it would bring.

Each day of the expedition, students rotated through leadership roles, planning routes, selecting campsites, monitoring the group’s hydration and morale, and solving problems together. Mr. Stewart said the experience intentionally pushed students outside their comfort zones.

this weeklong trip to get ahead in my future profession helps me stand out from the crowd and propel me forward in ways I wouldn’t have thought of before this trip.”

Kailyn Altmiller said she would remember “when all the kids were gathered around talking, and Mr. Stewart informed us that we could see the aurora borealis in the night sky.”

She said she learned to work with people of different backgrounds, as well as “when to take a step back and let others take the lead of things.”

“I learned so much on this trip and I’m extremely grateful for that oncein- a-lifetime opportunity,” she said.

Ava Stewart likewise said she “had the realization of how much we Dr. Caffey also praised the instructors and described the trip through Labyrinth Canyon as “an exceptional experience for all of us.”

“It was inspiring to watch OHS students face adversity and persevere through it,” Dr. Caffey said. “The leadership “You’re going to be uncomfortable at some point during this trip,” he said. “It’s how you respond to that discomfort, help others through it and learn to lead that makes the experience so valuable.”

The trip wasn’t all work. Students paddled beneath towering canyon walls, watched peregrine falcons chase prey across the river, celebrated Independence Day by singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” together, and even caught a glimpse of the Northern Lights over the canyon cliffs.

For student Nate Elmore, one quiet moment had individually changed in that short amount of time and how much closer we had grown to each other in the five days that we were together. It really proved the whole purpose of why we went on the trip.”

The success of the trip has already convinced Mr. Stewart and Dr. Caffey to begin planning another NOLS expedition.

“Besides the leadership lessons derived from the course, the opportunity for us to travel through the canyon at river level, observing the geography of the towering walls, and witnessing its wildlife was an experience that words fail to fully convey, but that I wish that everyone could experience at some point,” Dr. Caffey said. “We intend to begin plans for another NOLS expedition to benefit future OHS student leaders in the near future. The greater breadth of experiences we can provide for our students, the better prepared they will be for the future, no matter what they choose to do.

The support that the community provided for this enterprise is a testament to Olney’s belief and investment in them.”