by Christy Swafford, Assistant Admissions Director at CCBS

It is so much fun to try new things. At Cherokee Creek Boys School, boys are able to use their creativity with their Medicine Wheel work (from the “Four-Fold Way” by Angeles Arrien), Wilderness Trek adventures, and so much more. They are always coming up with new activities and hobbies they want to explore.

For the majority of the time creative opportunities don’t revolve around academics. Many of the boys have had a lot of school frustrations prior to coming to CCBS. They’ve had a hard time embracing a successful mindset when it involves academics. Once they do, however, they realize that they are capable of so much more than they ever could have imagined.

Denise Savidge, our Academic Dean, and the other teachers have helped the boys bring their creativity to light in the area of academics. The boys have a true love for experiential learning. This was clear seen when several of our boys started going to the Hamilton Career Center recently.

At this time, some of our boys are working on a 3-D design program and learning how to use software to recreate a drawing in a book. The class is called Mechanical Drawing. This is the modern version of the “drafting table” that architects used to use.

The second group of CCBS students is learning how to weld.

We can’t wait to see the projects they are creating!

A big THANK YOU  to those at the Hamilton Career Center for their programs and instruction for our boys. They truly are making a difference, and our boys are greatly benefiting from the learning of new skills.

by Christy Swafford, CCBS Assistant Admissions Director

The Four-Fold Way by cultural anthropologist Angeles Arrien is a book we use at Cherokee Creek Boys School as part of our self-development curriculum. In the book, there is a Medicine Wheel that highlights four universal values that hold meaning to almost every person. The values of the CCBS Medicine Wheel are “Truth”, “Love”, “Wisdom” and “Courage”. Through the study of these values people can learn meaningful life lessons such as how to be “open to outcome”, how to be a leader, and how to be forgiving. Our boys and families have the opportunity to  learn and practice these values during their time at Cherokee Creek.

Last week, we had the privilege of having Melissa, one of our moms, come and do an awesome art project that focused upon the Medicine Wheel.

The boys took beaded necklaces, cut off each bead, and then placed the beads strategically on the table. With the placement of thousands of beads, the project actually took us about 7 hours to complete. The boys did a fantastic job with staying focused, and they worked very hard to complete the table. In fact, the boys had to be pulled away from this fun project for bedtime!

Thank you, Melissa, for the wonderful way you interacted and helped the boys with the Medicine Wheel. We look forward to the next creative art project you have for us!

Our students were required to read Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar this summer. Believe it or not, there wasn’t a single boy who had requested to read it. Go figure!?! For some, they learned that Caesar was much more than just a salad!

Anyway, we required them to not only read the book, but to be involved with acting the play out in class. As we gave campus tours to prospective families last week, you could hear a lot of stomping going on upstairs in the classrooms. One of the visiting parents quipped that it sounded like that often at his home when his son does homework. The difference? Our boys are having FUN doing their schoolwork!

At our Family Seminar last week the boys were given an opportunity to perform a Julius Caesar play for their families. They even created costumes for the occasion!

Because of this experience, the students grew deeper in their understanding of some of the Medicine Wheel values. If you are familiar with the CCBS Medicine Wheel, can you think of any values that may have been utilized and enhanced?

by Christy Swafford, CCBS Assistant Admissions Director

Our students went back to school on Tuesday, but before they started another semester of books and learning, they had two awesome days of fun activities. After all, Cherokee Creek Boys Boarding School IS a place “where boys can be boys!”

On the first day, the boys had a Field Day… literally! They played popular games such as Cornhole, KanJam, and shared in other fun outdoor activities.

On the second day, our students went to the beach. Okay… okay… it isn’t the “real” beach like over at Myrtle Beach or Hilton Head, but  the boys loved playing in the sand and swimming in the man-made lake.

As you can see from this these pictures, they had opportunities to build traditional sand castles. And, of course, when you get a bunch of teenage boys together at a beach, you know for sure that someone is going to get buried up to their neck in sand!

Yes, we did make sure that he was dug back up before we left!

It is so important for families to have traditions. What are some of the traditions your family celebrated in the summer before you headed back to school? Did you go to the beach? Was it an amusement park? Did you enjoy being in the middle of nature by going camping?

Please share those with us in the comments section below!

One thing to know about Cherokee Creek Boys School… Graduations are a BIG deal on campus!

Each graduation ceremony is a solemn, important, and true “rite of passage” for our students. Each of our boys enter into the program as one person… and after months of hard work, they have been transformed into older, wiser, healthier, and confident young men.

During the Summer of 2015, we were blessed to hold several graduations for very deserving students. We won’t give away much of what happens during these special events because of the “sacredness” involved. Each part of the ceremony has a unique symbolic meaning for the boy, his parents and family members, his fellow students, and us as mentors and staffers at Cherokee Creek. If you’ve ever attended one of our graduation ceremonies, you’ll remember how special and sacred this occasion can be for all involved.

Here are a few things we can share with you about some of the symbols used within our graduations:

As many of you know, at Cherokee Creek Boys School we challenge boys to discover “what is real and true about themselves and the world around them”.  We understand that this involves a journey of learning. The journey is symbolized by the representation of a canoe on our logo.

The CCBS Medicine Wheel symbolizes a graduate’s journey and his growth in truth, love, wisdom, and courage while at Cherokee Creek Boys School.  Family, friends, staff and students gather around the Medicine Wheel for “honorable closure”.

During the graduation celebration, students express what they have learned – what is real and true about themselves – while at Cherokee Creek.

It is also a time to share meaningful goodbyes with their CCBS brothers and be reunited with those who have supported them from a distance.

We have more graduation ceremonies scheduled in the upcoming months. What a joy it is to celebrate the transformations that are taking place in the lives of these very special boys and their incredible families!

Many of the boys at Cherokee Creek Boys School have been really getting into health and fitness. A few days ago, several of our awesome staff members organized a trip to a local gym for a spin class.

Here are some of their answers:

Eli – (What did you learn that was new?) There are a lot of ways to be active. (What did you learn about yourself?) It can still be fun even if you aren’t really going anywhere. (What did you think about the overall experience?) I want to do it again.

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 both 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.

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!

For the third time, Lake Jocassee in Devil’s Fork State Park served as a gorgeous backdrop to our Father-Son Trek. The three nights and four days were nowhere near enough time to take in all of the spectacular scenery that Jocassee offers. However, it was the perfect amount of time for some unique father and son bonding.

Day one of our Summer 2015 Father-Son Trek consisted of setting up camp and a crash course in kayaks. There was also a new twist with a friendly game of “Ultimate Wilderness Survival”. We could all feel our survival ratings rise with this new-found knowledge!

Days two and three brought with them a couple of outdoor adventure opportunities. One was paddling through open water to a beautiful white sandy beach for swimming and lunch and the other was a relaxing pontoon ride to natural waterfalls for exploring, swimming and some great fishing. Luckily for us the fish were ready and willing to strike during our stay at Jocassee!

Whether it was laughing around the campfire, soaking up the sun on a warm sandy beach, or paddling a kayak in wide open water, this Father-Son Trek offered us the opportunity to find out what is real and true about ourselves and the world around us. Just ask any father who has taken the time to participate and he will surely tell you that there is just something special about these Father-Son Treks.