Student Leaders

Adjusting to life back on campus after our California Expedition was an exciting transition for students with the added responsibility of serving as Leader of the Day. There have been both successes and moments for improvement as students navigate this new challenge. Here are the highlights and reflections from our latest LODs …

“My experience as Leader of the Day here at Alzar have been very different than my experience on the California Expedition. Although the “chore” list is considerably shorter I’m finding it much harder to get things organized and completed during the school day. Now the little things that I didn’t even think twice about, are theses huge tasks that I, along with my fellow TLODs Liam and Alec, have to make decisions on. Things such as deciding the afternoon activity, planning transportation, making sure chores are completed, and seeing that everyone hears announcements and keeps their belongings together, have now become these monumental tasks that before just seemed like another part of life at Alzar School.

We definitely struggled in the beginning of the week as TLODs, especially in the communication department. The three of us were sometimes going in three completely different directions, which did not help the community as a whole in the slightest and ended up creating a train of events that threw the entire day off.
Wednesday was definitely an improvement on the leadership front. We were considerably more cohesive during community meeting and service. The meeting ran really well and seemed to be very constructive. For community service we helped out our neighbors Rob and Kim by neatly stacking their mound of firewood to prepare for the cold winter that is right around the corner. Rob and Kim are the keepers of the Depot which, because of the recent drop in temperature, has become our new classroom. It felt really nice to do something for them considering the huge favor they are doing for Alzar by letting us use the building this semester. All and all our trio is on the right track to turning the week around and improving as leaders, but there are still many more mistakes to be made and lessons to be learned.”

-Katherine

“It was time. Finally all of the hard work Karley, Wesley, and I (Lexi) put into the California leader of the day experiences was about to transition to Idaho. We knew from the get-go that it would be a tough weekend. With WFR already planned we did not have much leeway in terms of different activities, but we were ready to accept the challenge. Our leader of the weekend experience started on Friday with a bang, as we decided to go to the hot springs for our outdoor activity. Although I really wanted to go, Wesley, Katherine, and I had other plans. The SAT was encroaching and we needed to study. SJ (our awesome teaching fellow) helped us prepare for the test and baked us goodies as a condolence. That night for English class we got to watch Sean Penn’s cinematic adventure, Into The Wild, which was great to calm us seniors down before the big day. SJ’s buckeyes and Oreo balls were given out to the schooligans for a little treat with the movie. The movie was interesting, as we were searching for the differences between Penn’s and Krakauer’s interpretations.

The day started early the next morning for the SAT goers who had to wake up at 5:50 to go to McCall, while everyone else had the gift of breakfast starting at 9 am. While I was busy solving geometry problems and analyzing readings, the majority of the school was learning CPR techniques as a part of the WFR course. After the SAT, Sean and Kristin picked us up with fresh Subway sandwiches and Oreo Milkshakes, which was the perfect post-test delicacy. As soon as we got back to campus we jumped right back into WFR. Within twenty minutes, we were irrigating lacerations and expelling puncture wounds from a pig’s foot. Although the pig’s foot lab was exciting, the best part of the day was when each of us had the chance to give ourselves shots. While supervised, we injected purified, distilled water into our legs to practice giving an Epi-pen in the field. We practiced and learned skills until nine o’clock that night including buddy splinting and walking ankle casts. We were told that it was going to be an early morning the next day, as our first simulation was scheduled for 6:30 a.m. Although after just taking the SAT, I was not sure if I could do it, but I managed to prevail. With a full night’s sleep on our shoulders, we were ready to jump right back into saving lives. Sunday consisted of three simulations, which allowed each of us a chance to be a primary responder, a secondary, and a patient. We all realized the difficulty of being a leader when the pressure of someone’s life looms over your shoulders. After another full day of WFR practice, class ended at 4:30, but we still had a lot more work to do. With classes quickly approaching, it was time to get back into the groove of the week. We are ready to give 100%, just like we always strive to do. Here’s to another great week at Alzar!”

-Lexi