Turning Winds Academic Institute Spartans

The anxiety was running high as nine students from Turning Winds Academic Institute eagerly awaited for The Spartan Sprint Race to begin.  The atmosphere was booming with loud music and over 6000 people in attendance- it almost felt like being at a concert.  With about 4.8 miles of rough, muddy, terrain and 15 obstacles, the course was sure to be a challenge for even the fittest and athletic person.  Every 15 minutes, a group of two-hundred “die-hard” Spartans was released onto the muddy, obstacle course.  The Spartan Sprint race was located in Big Fork, Montana on private land.

As the announcer signaled for the race to begin, TWAI students immediately trudged through a pool of murky water followed by a very steep hill climb that appeared to last forever.  Our students were organized into two teams:  Team Gladiator (the boy's group) and Team Spirit (girls group). 

The teams broke away from one another early on as they were determined to push one another beyond their limits while working to finish the challenging course with their fearless leaders.  The obstacles were difficult but the terrain was by far the most strenuous aspect of the course.  The one-mile, hill climb was slippery and steep.  This challenge would have broken most people, but our teams prevailed through this great challenge. 

The obstacles consisted of the following:  carrying a 30lb sandbag up a hill; the rope climb; the javelin throw; log carry/roll; wall climbs; ramp climb as well as the net climb; log hurdles and crawling under the barbwire.  Perhaps the most difficult obstacle at the Spartan Race was crawling under the barbwire.  The first set of barbwire was easily accomplished, but to climb over the hay bales only to find two more sets of barbwire was a bit devastating.  After completing this arduous task, which absolutely wore the strength right out of your arms, the following challenge included the rope climb.  Needless to say, there were not very many people who could climb the rope.  For those participants who were unable to complete an obstacle such as the rope climb, they were required to complete thirty burpees before moving onto the next challenge.

After climbing the last wall, the finish line was in sight.  Prior to crossing the finish line, all participants had to overcome one last obstacle – jumping over a fire!  Both teams finished what they started and were exhilarated upon completing one of the most challenging courses in the world.  Team Gladiator

finished in 1 hour and 29 minutes while Team Spirit completed the race in 2 hours and 13 minutes.  Wow, what an accomplishment to all of the students and staff who completed The Montana Spartan Sprint – 2014.  For more information about The Turning Winds School, please call 800-845-1380.

Challenging Yet Inspiring: Our Trip to Hells Canyon

Challenging yet Inspiring -our trip to Hells Canyon. 

Inspiring moments from our trip to Hells Canyon, were witnessed throughout the expedition through various experiences which included the following:  doing the unthinkable – backpacking 18 miles in three days; overcoming doubts, such as, climbing a steep hill and then climbing another steep and yet another hill without giving up; having a positive outlook and attitude throughout the entire trip; inspirational discussions that touched our hearts and minds; completing thought provoking assignments such as outdoor metaphors and the time-capsule letter; growing stronger as a group and learning to accept people for who they are despite their differences; and personal reflection time.  We at Turning Winds Academic Institute consider's these experiences as invaluable opportunities to grow emotionally, physically and spiritually.

Some of the highlights of the trip included: reaching our destinations, playing capture the flag, harvesting remnant volcanic ash from Mt. Mazama’s eruption that was found inside a small cave near Carter’s Mansion; the tremendous views throughout the canyon; completing the expedition; having breakfast at John’s house on his birthday; and going out to eat and watching a movie at the theater.

One of the great tools that we use in teaching our students, is the use of experiential education - providing learning experiences in an informal setting free, from walls and staleness.  One particular assignment which is fun to participate in, is the writing of outdoor metaphors.  An outdoor metaphor is defined by relating the backpacking experience into some aspect to our life.  For example, the stars that can be seen in the night sky may represent all of the people in our lives that guide us with their good light, especially through dark periods of our life.   Excerpts from the outdoor metaphor writing assignments include:  “Grass represents the soft, caring side of myself,” “tent represents a safe shelter,” “our backpacks are like all [of] our troubles weighing down on us,” “wind [represents] struggles in life,” “down-hill, the break that comes after all the hard work,” “flowers represent the good parts of life,” “traction on shoes are the support of friends that keep me from slipping.”

Some of the daily devotionals which we discussed included: Staying positive when the going get's tough; If only I had changed myself first...; A Tale of Two Wolves; The power of persistence and determination.  

Cold Snow and Hot Springs

A group of young men and women from Turning Winds Academic Institute took an overnight retreat to Bighorn Christian Campground - the campground specializes in promoting outdoor education.  The campus was covered in snow as a storm had just come through the day before.  The cabins were comfortable; the food was great and the staff were friendly. Furthermore, we were provided with our own private conference room which had a wood burning fireplace.

We spent the evening at Hot Springs, Montana at Symes soaking in the mineral pools.  Just like goldilocks had to try all three porridges, our students had to try all three hot springs with each one a bit warmer than the other.  One of the students even rolled in the powdery snow and jumped backed into the hot springs.  We all had a delightful time!

Once back at Bighorn Campground, we filled up on hot chocolate, played board games and enjoyed the warmth from the crackling fire inside the conference room.  At about midnight, we retired for the evening as we knew that breakfast would be served early in the morning.

The following day, our group snowshoed up to Cascade Falls which was about a 3 mile roundtrip hike.  The scenery was beautiful as there was about one foot of freshly fallen snow.  The trees and bushes were all covered in white and the surroundings were quieted because of all the snow.  Once we reached Cascade Falls, the view was breathtaking and surreal.

At Turning Winds Academic Institute, we strive to bridge the gap of failure with success.  We accomplish this task through a variety of modalities of treatment: outdoor education, leadership
development, character education and creating progress through therapy and educational achievement.  For more information on our therapeutic boarding school, please contact us at:  800-845-1380.

Dashing Through The Snow

It was a cold wintery day for the students at Turning Winds Academic Institute but the experience of snowmobiling was enough to warm their hearts and minds -the thought of being in the cold quickly melted away with excitement. 

There were many boys and girls who were able to experience the thrill of powering the snow machines across the expansive fields while maneuvering in and out of the woods as they glided over the thick blanket of snow.  Their eyes were lit up with joy…”oh what fun it is to ride on a” six hundred and fifty-horse snowmobile, was the song that was sung that day.

For more information about our exceptional boarding school, please contact us at:  800-845-1380.

A Cowboy Experience

TWAI Girl's Experience Horseback Riding

On a cool crisp morning, a group of anxious girls set out from Turning Winds Academic Institute to get a taste of the cowboy life by visiting The Western Pleasure Guest Ranch located in Sandpoint, Idaho.  The ranch is a place where anyone young and old can enjoy a little bit of western life with such winter activities as:  horseback riding and sleigh riding.    This ranch has been around for nearly a hundred years and has been a Dude Ranch for wranglers and guests alike.  With the the backdrop of surrounding mountains, barns and rustic log homes and fenced in hay fields, with horses galloping along on this nearly 1000 acre site, you can only imagine what the cowboy life is like.  

The girls were prepared for this rustic adventure.  They were dressed for the occasion each one of them wearing the signature hard wear of a cowboy- the cowboy hat!  After going through some horseback training, the group saddled up and began their adventure meandering through trees, and along dirt roads.  The ride was quieted as the sounds of the day were muffled by the snowflakes falling from sky.  For the most part, the horses were very cooperative and navigated effortlessly.  At times, you could even let go of the reins and the horses seemed to know exactly where they were going.  The grins on the faces of the girls were evident throughout the horseback riding even while the snow fell all around them.  

After horseback riding, the girls enjoyed the unique comfort that can only be found in the warmth of a log home.  The girls sipped on delicious hot chocolate and the sounds of laughter rang out as stories were told of their rustic experiences with being cowboys just for the day.  

Turning Winds Academic Institute believes that meaningful activities promote healthy, healing in the lives of all people regardless of age or circumstances.  For more information on our therapeutic school, please call:  800-845-1380.

The Big Catch of The Day

The Big Catch of The Day! 

On a cool Fall October morning, a group of seven students from Turning Winds Academic Institute boarded the Seagull Charters in Hope, Idaho with Captain Ken.  Lake Pend Oreille is home to the some of the largest fresh water fish ever caught.  In 1947, the world record Rainbow Trout was caught in this lake weighing in at 37 lbs and in 1995 a lake trout weighing 43lbs. 6oz. was caught there as well.

The boys set out to conquer the waters of Lake Pend Oreille with the desire to catch the "big" one.  As the fog began go give way to the beaming rays of sunshine, the lake seemed to sparkle.  With the help of Captain Ken, the young men rigged their fishing poles and began to patiently wait for the catch.  As time went on, one of the boy's yelled out, "I've got a fish, it's a big one."  He began to reel in the line and all the other boys stood around him in excitement -waiting and wondering just how big the fish really was.  As soon as the boys saw the fish come to the surface, laughter erupted as they realized it was not as big as the young man had first thought, only 13 inches in length.

Although the first catch was much smaller than anticipated, the best was yet to come.  Two other fish were caught in the next hour both of which were rather large, about five pounds each.  Unfortunately, those fish had to be released as one was a Bull Trout and the other fish was a Cutthroat Trout - both protected in the waters of Lake Pend Oreille.  The remainder of the day was spent enjoying the surrounding, mountainous views and relaxing in the warmth of the cabin on the Seagull Ship.

Spending quality time engaging in wholesome recreational activities, promotes healing.  To learn more about our dynamic, therapeutic school, please visit:  Turning Winds Academic Institute.

Aerial Adventure Park

A School Outing -Building Trust and Confidence

Students from Turning Winds Academic Institute participated in a memorable experience at Whitefish Mountain where they were able to conquer challenging courses while being suspended from harnesses fifty feet above the ground in the Aerial Adventure Park. It was a playground in the trees for the kids to appreciate!

The aerial adventure park is an exciting experience that has five separate courses with over 60 elements designed to challenge every skill level.  Whether you are a beginner or an expert, this course is for you!

Each one of the students were equipped with state of the art harnesses which had a double carabineer locking system to ensure safety while engaged on the course.  In addition to the safety equipment there was a presentation on how to utilize these locking devices on the course as well as the guide wheels. They then were able to practice using the locking mechanisms and tweezels as they approached the main platform where the courses originated.

Once we arrived on the main platform, students began to choose their routes.  Each route had a rating system that was identified by certain colors which signified the difficulty level of each course.  These colors included:  Yellow, Green, Blue and Black, much like the ski runs are identified in degree of difficulty.  In order to participate in a Blue Course, a participant would have to successfully complete a green course.  The same routine was required for the Black Course where in order to advance a student must have been able to complete the Blue Course.

The aerial courses were riddled with amazing elements that made it exciting, interesting and challenging.  Some of the elements included: zip lining; crossing suspended bridges and cable wires; climbing across nets and through barrels; swinging on trapezes and tube traverses; and repelling from a platform to complete the most difficult challenge.  These courses are not for the faint hearted or those who are afraid of heights! 

The girls seemed content to engage in elements on the Yellow and Green courses.  On the other hand, the boys were determined to conquer both the Blue and Black course.  Each one of the boys were successful in completing the Black Course which was the most difficult.  It was fun to watch the students build up the courage to complete certain elements.  One particular element which a young man struggled with was repelling from a platform that was about fifty feet off the ground.  Imagine, wearing a harness and having just crossed a 90 foot obstacle and reaching a platform high into the trees.  Only to be instructed to connect into a repelling mechanism and step backwards off of the platform which you were so comfortably standing on. 
Well, this young man that struggled with this particular element repeatedly went through the motions of stepping backward on the platform.  Each time one of his feet left the platform to begin the repelling activity he would shake his head in frustration, place his foot back onto the deck and walk toward the tree to regain his composure.  This must have happened six different times! 
With much coaching from several of the staff, he finally made that last step off of the platform and into the air.  Once hanging in the air like a spider on a spool of thread, the young man began to laugh as he realized all would be well.  He had a grin on his faced that went from ear to ear.

We are so proud of each of our students for successfully completing the courses that they started!  What an amazing, life-changing experience this was for each one of those youth who participated in The Aerial Adventure Park.