MELISSA BAILEY '94

Melissa Bailey '94

I have wonderful memories of Northern Campus and the Junior and Senior Outdoor Leadership Programs. I went to Temagami seven or eight times during high school as they were short on female instructors. I gained numerous life-long skills from my experiences, primarily self-confidence, responsibility and cooperation.

We would travel by snowshoes for hours at night on the frozen lake without any adults. This experience helped build my self confidence. I also had a lot of responsibility as an Outdoor Leader and was required to regularly check-in with the teachers by radio (no mobile phones then!).

Finally, I learned that cooperation was invaluable. We had to cooperate when building snow shelters, quinzees, together as a team where we slept for two nights. It was also a great experience to pass on these outdoor skills to the younger students. Overall, I remember the great friendships that were strengthened on these trips to Northen Campus.