FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – This June, Northern Arizona University geared up to host the 3rd annual Lumberjack Leadership Summit. The yearly gathering invites students from GEAR UP Schools across Arizona to participate in a summit focused on exploration, leadership, and collaboration.
The Lumberjack Leadership Summit is a free-of-cost summer program designed to help students learn valuable life skills and explore future postsecondary possibilities. This year, the summit was open to rising 10th and 11th graders.
Arriving to Flagstaff
Tucked in the heart of the NAU campus, the Mountain View Residence Hall lobby began to buzz with excitement as the staff was set and ready to welcome students as they arrived for the first day of the Lumberjack Leadership Summit. Students one by one stepped off the bus and began to check into their new homes for the week.
Once checked in and settled into their new dorms, students were divided into their new teams for the week. Over 100 students were split into 6 teams representing a public university in Arizona (ASU, NAU, UArizona, Sun Devils, Lumberjacks, and Wildcats). Students were introduced to their Team Leaders, who are typically college students/graduates who are there to be leaders, and mentors, and help guide students through the week’s activities while being a resource to answer any questions about college and beyond.
Orientation /Keynote
The newly formed teams rallied together and made their way to Cline Library Auditorium where Jasmine Dean, the summit coordinator, welcomed them to the Lumberjack Leadership Summit orientation. Jasmine went through the week’s events and introduced this year’s keynote speaker, Brandon Blue. Brandon works for Phonetic Spit, a Phoenix-based organization that uses poetry to help teach students about expression, respect, and community. During the keynote, students anonymously wrote their stories on paper, then crumpled them and tossed the paper across the room. Students then got up, picked up a random crumpled piece of paper, and read another person’s story. Students reflected and read over other’s trials and tribulations and learned to relate and understand others.
Leadership
The Summit’s days were packed with activities to help students explore the STEAM(Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) career fields, the college process, and of course, leadership. Students could participate in one of three classes, coding, engineering, and robotics. In the coding classes, students learned how to create and program their own virtual worlds. In engineering, students constructed electronic ukuleles and headphones. In the robotics classes, students assembled and flew their drones.
For team building, students spent time with Paradigm Shift, a program that helps teach students the importance of teamwork and communication. Students would participate in multiple activities where they had to work and complete tasks with their fellow classmates. Additionally, the NAU ropes course worked with students to help them work as a team and learn the importance of communication in problem-solving.
To continue the focus of storytelling, Phonetic Spit held classes where students continued to explore expression through poetry.
Students and staff learned the importance of community and visited the Flagstaff Food Bank, where they would prepare and deliver meals to Flagstaff families.
To help students learn about the college process, students attended classes focused on career services, admissions, and financial aid.
Additionally, students explored the STEAM fields, by examining the NAU’s Maker’s Space where students learned about Virtual Reality and even tried out a few VR headsets.
Students also visited the NASA Training Center in Flagstaff. Students learned about the process of becoming an astronaut, the discoveries made over the past century, and the significance Flagstaff had in making those discoveries.
Evening Events
Each evening concluded with an event that brought together all six teams in one place. Night One featured the Hunger Games, where all six teams competed in various games against one another to see who would come out on top.
Students would go all out dressed in their team colors and work together for one common goal.
“The Hunger Games is where students begin to come out of their shells and start to buy into the program,” Jasmine Dean said.
Night Two was the “Game of Life”, where students were given a mock career, and had to navigate through different stations run by Workshop Facilitators. These stations would represent life situations such as rent and utilities. Students had to manage their money to make sure everything was taken care of as they made it through their lives. Students learned the importance of preparing and budgeting for the future.
Night Three capped off the summit with the Talent Show. Students and Staff gathered into Prochnow Theater to cheer on their fellow campers as they went on stage and showcased their talents. From singers, dancers, poets, and more, each student was cheered on.
Closing out
The final day of the Lumberjack Leadership Summit took place in the same auditorium where it began– in Cline Library. Jasmine made closing remarks and showcased the summit recap video, a collection of photos from throughout the week. Students also shared their poems they wrote throughout the week and spoke about their experiences at the summit. Teams split up one last time to recognize and award certificates to students for their completion of the Lumberjack Leadership Summit.