Panther Camp Trains Benicia's Future Leaders

Annabelle Prasad is majoring in public policy at the University of California at Riverside. The 2009  graduate returns each year to host Panther Camp, the leadership workshop she created in 2008.

“When I was elected ASB (Associated Student Body) president my senior year, I wanted to have a leadership workshop where all school leaders could intermingle and bounce ideas off each other,” Prasad says. She had attended multiple leadership conferences but realized that not all students had the opportunity or funds to do so. “I wanted it to be open to everyone.”

Wednesday, the two-day camp completed its fourth year at BHS, with 40 students in attendance. The camp is open to all BHS students, but most are members of Student Body Council, Youth Commission, Interact, honors classes, Key Club, Band Council, Sports Leadership and Yearbook.

On Tuesday, campers dressed in attire representing Spirit Day, including the Fruit of the Loom gang, wild animals or tropical vacationers. They were then split into four teams and given names associated with Hogwarts; Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Next came team calls, cheers and gestures.

Instead of lessons in spells, campers learned leadership skills including public speaking, philanthropy, public service, team building, goal setting, conflict management and being a spirited role model. The exercise on respecting and embracing diversity was thoughtful and moving. Ironically, time ran short so the session on time management was brief.

Guest speaker of spoke on leadership. BHS special education teacher Louise Garrison discussed how the student leaders' positive interactions with special needs students can set an example for their peers. Chau Yoder spoke about mindful leadership, relaxation techniques, and how to appreciate life and have less stress.

Teachers Mary Wheat and Yvette Brown were on hand during the camp, but it was the counselors who make the program happen. All 13 counselors were previous BHS student leaders and many attended Panther Camp. Ariel Nordone, 21, is a student at University California of Davis and has been a counselor for four years. Counselor Sanil Budhdev, 18, attended the camp twice and will start at UC at Davis in the fall. Counselor , 18, attended camp for three years and was voted most spirited his senior year. 

Teams earn points during sessions and fun activities like the blindfolded obstacle course, the Quidditch World Cup and the Slip N' Slide. The duct tape challenge was a favorite. Each team duct taped a member to the wall, winning if their person was the last to fall. The coveted spirit stick was held by one team at all times, but could be taken during a thrown down challenge. The challenges included cheering, arm wrestling and rope-climbing.

Wednesday was a 13-hour marathon but campers remained spirited until the very end. Final points were tallied and the House Cup was awarded to team Hufflepuff. The slide show that followed was punctuated by spontaneous singing and cheering. Each camper wrote a letter to him or herself with a list of goals that will be mailed later in the school year.

Panther Camp concluded with a bonfire at which each camper shared thoughts with the group. “It's good to know that I am leaving this school to a bunch of great kids,” said counselor Tai Aczon, a 2011 BHS graduate.

The campers demonstrated playful camaraderie as well as maturity, intelligence and integrity. “Keep these traits and things we learned at camp with you,” advised camper Greg Sunga. “Every program that you are a leader in gives you structure.”

Band member Quincy Smith said, “I learned a lot, especially from the speakers. Chau had us do these calming exercises; it really helped me.”

William Blackmer, 16, is a second-year camper and credits Prasad with convincing him to join leadership. His favorite session was Garrison's talk about students with autism. “Just hearing her stories and really explaining what's different about them... people don't really think about it,” he said. “They just know, 'Oh, they are different' and don't realize how they are struggling or how we can help, instead of just labeling them as something else.”

Brown is hosting a one-day leadership camp for students on Aug. 10 and recruited Panther Camp kids to help.