SUN WEST SCHOOL DIVISION NO. 207
Sun West Students Build Confidence and Character at FACES Education Program

Twenty Sun West School Division students, selected by their schools, spent a week in the Rocky Mountains in Alberta this July attending the Facilitating Awareness and Character-building Experiences for Students (FACES) Education Program, where they developed leadership skills, built confidence, and formed new friendships.

This was an introduction to the FACES Education Program that has been operating with great success in Alberta since 2000 and now runs programming for 600 students each summer. Sun West is working with FACES to develop the program in Sun West.

Click here for more information on FACES.

The camp combined outdoor adventures, team activities, leadership workshops, and personal reflection. Students participated in mountain hikes, canoe trips, rock climbing, rappelling, group challenges, and discussions focused on topics such as integrity, self-awareness, personal responsibility, and decision-making.

Sloane Willner, of Davidson School, said the experience taught her the importance of being present. She said: "Really appreciating how peaceful everything is and like how we're taking our time. And when I go back home and my schedule will be completely different, I still want to like to take that time and appreciate things and realize like how I'm feeling and just like keep that like peacefulness going."

A key lesson throughout the camp was that individuals have the power to shape their futures through their choices and attitudes. Braxon Vanthuyne, of Kindersley Composite School, explained: "I keep a positive attitude and I'm determined, I can do anything I want. Get a career, whatever, I think. You can't change what's on the outside before you change what's on the inside."

Teagan Unrau, of Eston Composite School, said the camp reinforced the importance of choosing a path that reflects personal goals and values. She said: "You have to make your own choices to like follow a path that you want to follow."

The supportive environment at FACES encouraged students to open up, share their experiences, and connect with others. McKinley Johnson, of Davidson School, revealed: "I feel like at home I'm just one to like take everything in, but like I don't express it on the outside and I just like bottle my emotions up and don't talk about it. But I want to give a huge shout out to Aaron [FACES leader] for really making our group like a safe space and just like a place where we can all feel comfortable to open up and share."

Many activities pushed students outside their comfort zones. Whether it was speaking with new people, sharing personal thoughts, hiking challenging trails, or rappelling for the first time, students learned that growth often comes from facing challenges.

Yevheniia Taranukha of Biggar Central School 2000 reflected: "The lesson I had at FACES was to face my fears. And I had to learn to like overcome it. Just being able to like step out of your comfort zone and do something that you wouldn't normally do, which is like could be a fear, could be anything really."

Rachel Dobson, of Rosetown Central High School, said the camp helped her understand the importance of self-discovery and taking responsibility for personal choices. She stressed: "You got to find yourself and then you can like choose and you're responsible for what path you do go down. Like you have to make those decisions and find out who you are so you can go where you want to go."

For Liam Zdunich, of Kenaston School, the week brought a noticeable change in his confidence. "So, at the start I was so shy. I'm going admit that," he related. "I didn't talk to anyone, but then you know, Hans [a FACES leader] - he moved us around, forced us to talk to new people, showed us how to talk to people. Now it's just, you know, I've gone up to almost everyone, hoping to get a good solid conversation with almost everyone. And yeah, I've been, it's awesome," he concluded.

Clayton Longmuir, of Eaton School, said the experience taught him not to let fear prevent him from trying something new. He shared: "You kind of make your own decisions and you can do whatever you put your mind to and it doesn't really matter if people try and break you down as long as your choices stay the same. Even if you're nervous, you should still do it because if you're nervous and you don't do it, you won't know what like what you missed out on. I think it's the experience that's really important."

In addition to the amazing experience of attending FACES, each of the students also earned a credit in either Leadership 30 or Life Transitions 30 through their participation and success at Challenges. The Sun West students who attended were accompanied by five Sun West teachers who were responsible for evaluating the students' performance at FACES and providing a grade.

By the end of the camp, students had gained more than memories of outdoor adventures. They returned home with stronger communication skills, greater self-confidence, and a better understanding of themselves. The experience helped them develop leadership skills that they can apply in their schools, communities, and future careers.