A Tale of Two
AWLS
The American Wilderness Leadership School
by Roberta Windus, AWLS
graduate 2008 and 2010
Lena Agriscience teacher and FFA Advisor
NEW SCI Board of Directors Member
I have had the honor and privilege to be chosen to represent
the Northeast Wisconsin Safari Club International Chapter on two
American Wilderness Leadership School (AWLS) tours.
Wyoming and Iowa!
In the summer of 2008 I had the opportunity to fly to the
beautiful Jackson Hole Wyoming to attend the AWLS camp.
I have never traveled further than Kansas so the scenery
was amazing! The images of the camp will be
etched in my mind forever. The staff was
amazing from the teachers to the cooking staff to the cleaning
crew! I have had so many “firsts” that it was
unforgettable. In Wyoming it was the first
time I tied a fly, the first time I went white water rafting
just to mention a few. The staff was
comprised of experts brought in from all over the United States.
We got state of the art environmental education
curriculum that is used on a daily basis in my classroom.
I will never forget my experiences at AWLS Wyoming and am
forever grateful to the NEW SCI chapter for sponsoring me.
This past summer I traveled to Iowa to attend the American
Wilderness Leadership School. I must admit I
was thinking I’ve been to Wyoming what can Iowa offer me?
This camp and staff exceeded my expectations and then
some! The personal welcome you get when you
come and the way that they immediately make you feel like family
was awesome! From the start of the workshop
to the end
we were doing hands on activities!
A lot of what I learned in WY was reiterated and enhanced in
Iowa. My flies were better in Iowa, and I got
to learn to cast and caught a fish! My GPS
and compass skills were enhanced and we were taught how to use
this with our students. My shooting skills on
the other hand could use a few more trips to IA and WY!
I am still in awe with the lifelong friends and memories
that I’ve made in Iowa and all of the excellent hands on
learning that went on, Ajay and his staff are second to none!
So I’ve completed AWLS WY and IA… comparing the two is
like comparing apples to oranges! Both offer EXCELLENT
educational opportunities that anyone would be fortunate to
encounter. I thank my lucky stars every day that I happened to
stumble across a wonderful organization in SCI that is so
willing to support teachers and education and I hope to pass my
message on to many more students and colleagues!
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