Archive for the 'Athletics' Category

Summer Cross Training Season Races On!

Jacob C represents Cherokee Creek Boys Boarding School at a local high school track meet.Cross Training season has officially begun and we are proud to announce that Cherokee Creek Boys School is moving forward with an official team!

We would like to take this opportunity to introduce the coaches that will be undertaking this summer season with the boys. The coaches for the team will include April Payne and Andrew Stevenson.

April is in her inaugural year at Cherokee Creek and is excited to bring to our school her passion for running, fitness, and teaching healthy habits. She began running during middle school track, and has gone on to run multiple half marathons.  April recently completed the Disney Marathon in a time of 4:12. She is currently training to become a strength and conditioning specialist.

Andrew is in his third year coaching Cross Country at CCBS. He has truly been impressed watching the impact that fitness has had on the growth and personal enrichment for each of the students.

We will be developing a contract to outline the expectations of each team member. The expectations will detail bothCCBS team at Color Run starting line the mental and physical barriers that all runners struggle with, and how we expect team members to cope and overcome these challenges.

The students have responded very well to training thus far and we are excited to be more intentional about training, quantifying results, and defining success. We will be updating families, primaries, and therapists on the progress. We’ve created a series of benchmarks to provide measurable progress and we will be continuing to track and challenge students to strive for personal improvement.
Boys Boarding School Cross Country

Our coaches are convinced that cross training will incorporate student-specific challenges and reinforce a lifestyle of fitness and healthy choices. We plan to provide a safe and quality program that is both challenging and fun. The team is excited to see what they can accomplish. As students develop their skills, we’re confident that the summer success will transfer to other sports and activities they will participate in.

We believe that participating in individual sports are a great way to have important core values such as personal accountability and accomplishment instilled into the boys. Here’s to a great summer cross training season!

posted by Judy Leslie in Athletics,Cross Country Team and have Comments Off on Summer Cross Training Season Races On!

Cross Country Bears

by April Payne

This weekend we officially closed our cross country season with a celebratory get-away. I write this with mixed emotions as I Cherokee Creek Boys Boarding School Cross Country Team 2015have thoroughly enjoyed the time we have spent together.

We left Friday afternoon and spent the evening in a yurt village on the Chattooga River where we indulged in a “Paleo-style” feast from the grill. We let our table manners go and really went for the “caveman” feel, letting the boys eat steak and salmon with their hands (in reality, we only brought plastic forks and they were breaking them left and right!).

After we packed in the protein for our morning workout, we enjoyed some time around a bonfire with team building, story telling, and looking through photos from all our adventures.

Saturday morning, the cross country team had me up before 6:30 a.m. (my plan was 9:00 a.m.), anxious to hit the trails. Getting to run as a team, and without time restraints, made it possible for us to stop along the way for a crossfit workout and yoga by the water (led by Jin).

AnCherokee Creek Boys Boarding School Cross Country Team Having Fundrew did an incredible job of setting up a scenic route through the woods that would land us in a perfect spot on the lake to hang hammocks and spend a day in and out of the water.

I’m not sure any of us were ready to return to the school, which says a lot about their behavior and how laid back we allowed the weekend to be.
Cherokee Creek Boys Boarding School Cross Country Team Member Relaxes

The way we have grown this season, as individuals and a community (myself included), exceeded any expectations I had. I came as a leader for this cross country team thinking I was simply volunteering to participate on a few weekly runs. My attitude quickly grew into anticipating our practices and time with the team above all my other CCBS responsibilities. By the end of the season I spent much of my time dreaming about how we could take what we’ve accomplished to new levels in the future.

Each of our cross country team members who are graduating soon will undoubtedly be missed, but we all are excited to send them off with the great memories we’ve shared and the important values we’ve instilled.

Cheers to an unforgettable cross country team!
posted by Judy Leslie in Athletics,Cross Country Team,Students and have Comments Off on Cross Country Bears

Color Run Fun for CCBS Cross Country Team

Boys Boarding School Cross Country TeamIt is time to celebrate a lot of victories for our boys! The Cherokee Creek Boys School cross country team has been hard at work the last few months. To close their season, they participated in the local Color Run.

The Color Run was founded in March 2011 as an event to promote healthiness and happiness by bringing the community together to participate in the “Happiest 5k on the Planet”. Runners will start the race wearing white shirts. By the time they cross the finish line, they are plastered in color! The fun continues after the race with an unforgettable Finish Festival. This larger than life party is equipped with music, dancing and massive color throws, which create millions of vivid color combinations.

To add to the fun, our boys completed it in the rain!

Before praising all of our boys, we want to give a round of applause for our dedicated staff: Andrew S and April. They have been wonderful role models for these boys, on and off the trails. They have modeled what it looks likes to preserves and have dedication.

CCBS team at Color Run starting lineApril wrote about the successes each of the boys had this season. Enjoy!

I’m seriously so proud of what the boys have made of the season. You should know:

•David has lost 34 lbs and is currently choosing to do his own exercise program (on top of what he does with the team!)

•Jacob has gone from a 10:30 mile to a 6:20 mile!

•Reno, Frankie, and Spencer placed amongst the North GA track region!

•Ryan beat me in a 5-miler (and continues to remind me often !) Note: He used to drag his feet and tell me he didn’t choose to be on team (about 10x every practice). Now he comes with a smile.

CCBS team at Color Run Finish Line•Elliott beat us all with a 400 push-up record (in 20 minutes)!

•Charlie has mastered the art of talking and running!

•Jin is simply a ninja!

•EJ joined the team 6 weeks ago with contagious enthusiasm and crazy work ethic!

•Seth’s endurance has increased from a 1/4 mile to 6 miles!

•Scott remains a source of entertainment and is learning to pace himself in training (we are learning that together)!

•Alex has turned his anxiety into fuel to push himself!

Do not hesitate to compliment these guys. They deserve it!!! What a great group of boys do we have!

posted by Judy Leslie in Athletics and have Comments Off on Color Run Fun for CCBS Cross Country Team

A Week in Review at Cherokee Creek Boys Boarding School – P.A.T.H Style

It’s been an exciting week at Cherokee Creek Boys Boarding School as we prepare for Spring Break. We thought it would be fun to share some updates through the lens of the P.A.T.H.  (The model we use to help create balance in the key areas of Personal Enrichment, Academics, Therapeutics, and Health and Recreation.)

Beautiful artwork donated by Garlinghouse Family to our Boys Boarding School

Garlinghouse Family

PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

We were honored to receive a very thoughtful and generous gift from Jeff and Kim. The gift is truly a labor of love!  With 250,000 stitches, Kim created an intricate Medicine Wheel for us. Jeff made an easel to display this one-of-a-kind project. They spent over 9 months making this beautiful piece of art.  That is right, 250,000 stitches! As the boys would say, THANK YOU MAMA AND PAPA G!

Teacher Nick and the boys looking at Smart Board at our Boys Boarding School

ACADEMICS

Nick hasn’t missed a beat! After returning from the State Lego League Competition he jumped right back into class. He continues to have fun in his classroom by finding creative ways to use his new Smart Board tool.  The image to the left gives you a peek into a lesson with the boys on angles. That sure makes geometry look more approachable and interesting!

 

Parent Passages Transition WorkshopTHERAPEUTICS

Today wraps up a 2-day Parent Passages transition workshop. With 17 families attending, we know that the collaboration and support will help them to gain many additional tools and ideas to begin the process planning for their son’s graduation.

We had the privilege of Dr. Tim Thayne, author of the book Not By Chance to speak at this workshop. He is helping to fortify, heal, and inspire the family unit. We are excited for these families to start a new season in their lives. Keep up the good work everyone!

Jacob C represents Cherokee Creek Boys Boarding School at a local high school track meet.HEALTH AND RECREATION

Cherokee Creek Boys Boarding School had their first track meet with a local high school. Our boys did great! It was a fun experience for all of them.

Reno got 3rd in the 800 meter and 5th in the 400 meter. Frankie got 2nd in the 400 meter. These boys competed against other high schoolers! How cool is that!? Talk about being powerful and strong!

Let’s get a ‘Go Bears’ on the count of three…

1…2…3…GO BEARS!

 

What a terrific week!

Stay tuned for more exciting updates! We have a group of boys and staff leaving for Costa Rica today for the first Cherokee Creek Boys Boarding School International trip. We look forward to sharing pictures and stories soon!

We hope everyone has a wonderful Spring Break!

posted by Judy Leslie in Academics,Athletics,Donations,Families,Students and have Comment (1)