Headed to the Coast

From left: Artie, William and David are headed for the coast

The Father & Son Sea Kayaking Adventure is underway!

At about 10:00 this morning Executive Director David LePere, Counseling Department Manager William Carpenter and Therapist Artie Smith – along with students Alex, Alexander, Jake, James, Loucas, Sam, Sam, Tommy and Vincent – began their journey to the Georgia coast. Now, this is not what David, William and Artie are typically up to on a Tuesday morning. But for our first Father and Son Adventure it would be hard to find a more perfect crew!

The boys are looking forward to connecting with their dads tomorrow morning. Together, they will paddle with the tide to Cumberland Island National Seashore where they will spend the next few days camping in a primitive area of the island. This exciting Father & Son Adventure has been months in the making and is sure to garner many “tall tales” and “fish stories.”

More to come…

posted by Judy Leslie in Community,Families,Students,Treks and have Comments (2)

2012 Basketball Season Opener

The Bears headed onto the court in Walhalla last night looking confident and skilled. Their practice has clearly paid off! The Bears lead the game at the end of the 1st quarter by one point (7-8) and came in just one point back at the half (15-14). The opposing team had a nice scoring streak in the third quarter ending it with a 29-18 lead, but the Bears stayed with it and continued to put points on the board, ending with a 42-30 loss to Walhalla. This was a very good season opener – one to be very proud of! Check out the photos below.

Special thanks to family and staff who made it to cheer on and support the team! GO BEARS!!

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posted by Judy Leslie in Community,Students and have Comments (3)

Two Very Special Programs

In the next few months we have two very special programs coming up for mothers and fathers of Cherokee Creek Boys School students. It is important to note that these programs are not restricted to moms and dads. Participants may include other significant adults invested in the success of CCBS students.

On deck first is the Women of Courage Retreat in February (February 12-14), just preceding the February Family Seminar facilitated by Founder, Beth Black and Manager of Clinical Services, Jane Barker. This event is for mothers of current CCBS students. For more information please read the Women of Courage Invitation.

In April, Fathers and Sons are invited to launch into a multi-day sea kayaking adventure to Cumberland Island. The Father & Son Sea Kayaking Adventure (April 18-22 – possible evening travel on April 17) will be facilitated by Cherokee Creek staff and Breakwater Expeditions and is designed to be the perfect combination of activity, rest, relationship development and fun! For trip details, download the Cumberland Island Trip Packet.

Both of these events have limited availability. Please RSVP to Beth Venable if you are interested in attending: (864) 647-1885 or via email at bvenable@cherokeecreek.net.

We look forward to seeing you!

posted by Judy Leslie in Community,Families,Students and have Comments Off on Two Very Special Programs

2012 Calendar Updates

We have a lot to look forward to in 2012. Check out the “Upcoming Events” column to the right for a listing of happenings in the first 6 months of 2012 at Cherokee Creek Boys School. Everything from LEGO League to the last day of school are listed. Stay tuned for the Basketball schedule, which will be posted as soon as we receive it!

posted by Judy Leslie in Community,Families,Students and have Comments Off on 2012 Calendar Updates

Thanksgiving 2011


Surrounded by family and friends, Jackson and Dain are enjoying Thanksgiving lunch together. Yum!

Luke and his family pause from filling their bellies to smile for the camera! We are so thankful to have families visiting Cherokee Creek Boys School on Thankgiving day.

posted by Judy Leslie in Families,Students and have Comments (4)

Bears Victory!

Jimmy warms up for the net before the season's first game. His efforts paid off last night in overtime.

The Bears accomplished a 6-5 victory in overtime last night to have their first win of the season and the first win ever in a tournament game. Congratulations to all of the boys and to the coaches for their outstanding efforts! Note the student summary and quotes below describing the experience. They are over the moon – and truly recognize the value of teamwork!

Last night’s game summary provided by Student Contibuter Kevin:
At 8:00 the soccer tournament started. It was wet from a passing shower. Early in the match Cole scored from a corner kick. 1-0. Before half the other team scored. 1-1. Rick scored a goal bringing it up 2-1. Then the other team brought another goal, 2-2, then it was overtime. In the first 5 minutes it was 3-2 to us. After the full overtime it was 3-3. Time for penalty kicks (PK’s). Our goalie, Jimmy, blocked 4 before getting us 1. The first PK score: 4-4. In a second round of PK’s Sam D. and James scored while the opposing team only got one. This was it. The last shot. We block it, we win…They score, PK round 3. We were all shaking off nerves.

They kick. Jimmy blocks it. We won! We all run on the field and celebrate. We dump the cooler of Gatorade on coaches new vest and polo. The night was one of the best ever! Everyone gave 110% and it payed off!

Tournament Round 2 is Tuesday!

Student Statements:
“We did really great, we did really well. Even though the other team only had 9 people, they played well, too. It was a good game.” -Hudson

“We were persistent and we had lots of spirit!” -Cory

“It was exceptional. We all hustled. We had an amazing game.” – Kevin

“I thought we were going to loseabout 10 times. It was stressful when we had to do the PK’s.” – James (James scored the fianl penalty kick to make the score 6-5)

“I was very surprised we won. We all played superb. I want to congratulate everybody on their efforts.” – Jimmy

“It was an amazing game. It was an epic game. We had the best teamwork we’ve ever had.” – Spencer

“Good teamwork pays off!” – Cole

“It was a very good game and we had great teamwork and effort.” – Tommy Br.

“I think it was a fantastic game and we had great sportsmanship.” – Alexander

“It was a fantastic game with 10 PK’s in total and we had great teamwork.” – Dain

“It was an awesome game. It was sweet. I believe if Jimmy was not in the goal, we wouldn’t have done so well. He is straight up athletic. Coach gave the player of the game to everyone, but it really belonged to Jimmy because he saved us with those PK’s. I’m looking forward to the next game and using the same ideas and teamwork. The communication on the team is getting better. When everyone was passing we were using names. It’s really important.” – Rick

“I am really excited that we are going to another tournament game. My dad was really excited on our phone call this morning. Everybody did a great job, but especially Jimmy on the last block of the game.” – Mike T.

“I feel this is something out of a storybook because we played the same team earlier and lost. And now we’ve come back and beat the team in double overtime shooting PK’s.” – Sam K.

“I was ecstatic! We all played a good game.” – Michael H.

posted by Judy Leslie in Community,Students and have Comments (8)

Mark Your Fall 2011 Calendars!

As we get our fall calendars organized, we have a lot to look forward to! Over the week of October 30th to November 4th we have our next Family Trek, our First Boundaries Boot-Camp and the November Family Seminar – complete with an early Thanksgiving celebration. Whew! Check out the additional info. below:

Fall 2011 Family Trek Details & Boundaries Boot-Camp Details

But wait…there’s more! The 2011 Cherokee Creek Bears soccer schedule is here. See a game you can make? Please contact Alyse or your son’s primary for more details on each game.

Thursday, September 8th at 7:30 PM
Monday, September 12th at 7:30 PM
Tuesday, September 13th at 7:00 PM
Thursday, September 15th at 7:00 PM
Thursday, September 22nd at 7:30 PM
Monday, September 26th at 7:30 PM
Tuesday, September 27th at 7:00 PM
Monday, October 3rd at 6:00 PM
Thursday, October 6th at 7:30 PM

We look forward to seeing everyone again soon.
Go BEARS!

posted by Judy Leslie in Families,Students,Treks and have Comments Off on Mark Your Fall 2011 Calendars!

Way to Go, Wes!!

With full hearts we celebrated Wes’ graduation today. It was a ceremony filled with tales of the boy he was and the young man he now is. Virtually everyone recognized Wes’ leadership and many made reference to his kindness and friendship. Most of all, there was an expressing of pride and recognition of how much he has grown.

Congratulations to you and your family, Wes!

posted by Judy Leslie in Families,Students and have Comments (2)

Yeah, Jon!!

With full hearts, we celebrated Jon’s graduation today. Jon was honored for his leadership and “prevailing” ability to be kind and optimistic. Of course, there were good natured jokes from the boys about looking up to Jon both literaly and figuartively. But, mostly, students expressed gratitude for Jon’s friendship at the times of greatest need.

We will miss you, Jon, and are so proud of you!

posted by Judy Leslie in Families,Students and have Comments (2)

Congratulations, Jon!!

With happy hearts we celebrated Jon’s graduation from Cherokee Creek today! It was a pleasure to look back on his journey of self-discovery and to recognize his growth. Jon’s leadership and fishing skills were especially lauded. We wish him the best of luck as he continues forward.

posted by Judy Leslie in Families,Students and have Comments (2)