Trip to Utah proves life-changing for staff and youth alike at New Heights

For years as the Assistant Director of New Heights in Portsmouth and Exeter, Meghan Rice heard from students and parents how much they loved their adventure program. This past April break, however, she was able to experience it first-hand on a trip to Utah, an experience she said was as “magical” for her as it has been for kids.

“I learned a lot about myself personally and professionally,” she said. “I learned about leadership, group dynamics and a lot about the individuals in the group.”

She said one of the most impactful aspects of the weeklong trip to Utah seemed simple on the surface, but revealed something “extraordinary.”

“Each night, we had an evening meeting and awarded challenge beads to participants for overcoming some sort of obstacle that day,” she said. “It was incredible, because the process enabled us to learn about the individuals that make up the group. It was great.

As the name of the program itself suggests—adventure—the experience in Utah also provided no shortage of challenges along the way. Admitting she missed the creature comforts of home, including showers, Rice said what she learned along the way, though, more than made up for any temporary hardships.

“You're kind of stripped down and a little vulnerable, but in a good way—a way that initiates growth,” she said. “If I was learning all of this as an adult, I only believe that the kids are also learning a tremendous amount.”

According to Rice, another highlight of her trip was to see longtime Adventure Coordinator Sally Gregory at work. Noting she immediately began to hear stories about Gregory’s expertise and popularity upon first being hired at New Heights, Rice said it was “amazing” to see her in action.”

“Sally is a natural born leader,” she said. “She makes the group want to be the best they possibly can be. She models excellence in leadership and the participants strive to emulate those leadership skills. The kids have an instantaneous love and respect for Sally and look to her often for knowledge and guidance. She is truly an outdoor educator.”

In order to make any adventure trip successful—not to mention travelling cross-country—Rice said precise planning is necessary, which was quite evident when they were in Utah.

“She had processes and procedures to make the trip run very smoothly,” she said. “I had no idea how much work goes into planning and then facilitating a trip. From the gear to the meals to the navigation—it was an incredible feat.”

In looking ahead, Rice expressed the hope that she can not only accompany Gregory again on an adventure expedition, but that her kids might have the opportunity as well.

“As a parent, I want my kids to have this experience someday—to learn leadership, empathy, and compassion and to see beautiful parts of the world, to look outside themselves and see the bigger picture,” she said. “As an adult, I found it moving to be a part of a group and learn how to accomplish things, to be tolerant, and learn about others and share pieces of yourself.”

If there was one thing Rice would like to impart to others about her trip, though, it would be that teenagers can be pretty amazing, which is a sentiment society rarely—if ever—expresses out loud.

“Too often, our society has a skewed perception of teenagers, a kind of a ‘kids these days’ mentality—it’s not fair,” she said. “The nine Portsmouth High School kids that I spent the week with were intelligent, patient, kind, funny, thoughtful and polite—I could go on and on. They have dreams, hopes, and fears just like all of us do…I definitely will not forget my trip to Utah.”

To learn more about New Heights, visit, www.newheightsonline.org