SMT Connections: A Day for Cohort Building

Each year incoming Sustainable Materials & Technology (SMT) freshman and on-campus transfer students are required to attend SMT Connections, a day for cohort building. This year the group visited Schenck Forest. Students get the opportunity to meet faculty, staff and other peers of SMT who may not be in their classes. The department believes these connections are extremely important to establish a “family” and help students succeed beyond college.

But first…food!

We started the Saturday with lunch – sandwiches, chips and cookies – plenty to fuel up for the afternoon’s activities.  While everyone was eating and socializing, Dr. Peralta explained that very shortly we would all stand up and introduce ourselves. This was a great way to start the day, because everyone got to meet and learn some interesting things they may not have known about their classmates. There were many similar interests among the students, for example snowboarding and hunting. This was a great starting point for conversations throughout the day.  Once we boarded the bus to head to the Schenck Forest, everyone was tasked with talking to a partner to learn even more about that person and their interests.  

“Pass the Chicken” and “Mine Trap”

Arriving at the Schenck Forest, we began first with team building exercises on-the-ground.  The first exercise was called “Pass the Chicken.” We had to throw a rubber chicken through the pine forest stand as far as we could, while the other team was tried to retrieve the chicken. The group that threw the chicken was tasked with stating everyone’s name, as fast as they could, in order to win a point. Then, the teams switched and took turns until one of the teams achieved 5 points.  It was very beneficial for the students, because by the end of the game, every student knew all the names of their teammates.

The second activity was called the “Mine Trap.” In this exercise we were put into pairs and one teammate was blindfolded while the other teammate was the “caller.” The caller led their blindfolded teammate to the finish line by guiding them across the field to avoid the “mines.”  If the blindfolded teammate stepped on a mine, they had to return to the start line and begin again. This exercise helped us all to build trust. It is important for students to not only trust themselves, but also their peers and faculty. We are all in this together!

High-Ropes Course and Zip Line

Last but not least, students and some faculty mastered the high ropes course.  A high ropes course is an obstacle course that is about 20 -30 feet above ground. Participants are safely harnessed in at all times.  In order to move from one section to another, they must overcome a series of obstacles such as swinging bridges, cargo nets, and even some swinging ropes. The course is designed with several routes with varying levels of difficulty.  This gave us the opportunity to challenge ourselves as much as we wanted. Probably the most exciting part of the course came at the end. We had to let go and glide down a zip line in order to finish the course and get back on land. This was the highlight of the day for me!

The day was filled with engaging and fun experiences that certainly accomplished the goal of bringing us closer together as a learning community and more than that, a learning family. 

By guest blogger: Max Craft