How Outdoor Club Positively Impacted One High School Senior
Bethany Pratt is a senior at Mount Ararat High School and a four-year member of the school Outdoors Club. While her love of nature was initially fostered by her parents, who encouraged outdoor play, she said that her high school club provided even more exposure to unique adventures outside. A slide show at freshman orientation, which featured a rafting trip at Adventure Bound in Caratunk, Maine, enticed her to give the outdoor club a try. “I went to the first meeting with a friend as a freshman, and I’ve been hooked ever since,” she said.
Over the years, Bethany has enjoyed several memorable experiences, including Teens to Trails Acadia Rendezvous, a fall trip designed for high school clubs throughout the state to meet and experience the beauty of Acadia National Park together. Bethany recalled staying at Seawall campground, hiking Beech Mountain, visiting Thunder Hole and pitching in to help maintain the camp sites. While she fondly remembers these adventures, Bethany said it's the connections with peers that really make trips like these so enjoyable. “With so many new people coming each year, it’s like a new experience each time.”
This year, Covid created challenges for her outdoor club, but thankfully, small group gatherings on Thursdays, going on local hikes, and playing frisbee with club members, made a big difference. Bethany said that being outside makes her feel relaxed, and meeting with people, even in a small, socially distanced way, always helps. “I put a lot on myself, and I get stressed very easily. When I can see other people and connect outside, I feel so much better.”
Bethany has so enjoyed her high school outdoor club experience, that she’s realized a career in the outdoors is in her future. She’s attending Southern Maine Community College this fall for her core credits, then she’s off to Arizona Prescott College for a degree in adventure education. “I’ve lived in Maine my whole life, so I’m a little worried about the heat, but it’s supposed to be an amazing program,” she said.
For now, Bethany is keeping busy with the final weeks of school, followed by working at Hannaford, coaching summer track and pitching in at a local landscaping company. She’s also busy working on Outdoor Club posters, to entice future students to join the club that’s brought her so much joy. The poster asks, “Looking for An Adventure?” drawing on just what piqued her interest four years ago. It’s this wonderful curiosity and up for anything attitude, that makes Bethany a great asset to her club. We can’t wait to learn where Bethany’s future adventures will take her!
Know an inspiring student like Bethany? Share their story with us! Reach out to jen@teenstotrails.org.