An outgrowth of the high school’s Outdoor Education program
Kennedale High School student, Morgan Earle and his father, Richard Earle, who teaches and coaches at Kennedale High School, got to experience a one of a kind opportunity {{more: Continue …}}for any avid outdoorsman/woman last summer and Morgan is ready to go back.
Together, this past summer, the Earles attended a Texas Brigade outdoor camp, a special wildlife focused leadership camp.
?Only 24 cadets are chosen nationwide to attend the camp, so the fact Morgan attended as a cadet and his father was able to attend also as an adult leader is phenomenal,? said KHS Outdoor Education/Biology teacher Danny Wilcox.
The Texas
Brigades
is a wildlife-focused leadership development program for high school youth (ages 13-17) that conducts camps during the summer. Each camp is 4 1/2 days long. The state’s leading wildlife and fisheries biologists and land managers serve as instructors and mentors. |
| KHS Teacher Danny Wilcox |
Wilcox added, ?This is an awesome program that teaches leadership skills in the world of conservation.? Wilcox, who has been the dynamic force behind the development of the first program of its kind at Kennedale High School now in its third year, has been involved with the Brigade for two years and has been asked to serve on the statewide committee. This year, Wilcox won the Outdoor Educator of the Year.
The camps are held on private ranches and at environmental camps in different areas of the state. In addition to learning animal anatomy and behavior, botany, nutrition, habitat management, population dynamics, etc., the students learn valuable leadership skills.
Now, if you think summer camp with long leisure days with nothing to do but fish and sleep, think again!
Here?s how Morgan described it.
?It is go, go, go all the time. You are going from 6 in the morning to almost 11 at night. And, you learn so much in that short amount of time.?
?The camp is down in San Anna in South Texas. It was a camp over as much as you can know about the large-mouth bass which includes the anatomy of the fish, how to manage the water that the fish lives, what it eats, how it grows, fishing techniques ? It more of a semester of biology cramped into one week.”
?The learning process is like a competition. You are divided into groups which are called schools. Mine was called the Noodlers. You are awarded points from challenges that help you review and re-enforce what you are learning. It [the process] engages in learning by affecting your competitiveness. You want to learn more so that you get the most points and you [the team] get the prize.?
Did he like it?In short, in his word, it was ?awesome.?
?You meet responsible well-respected businessmen who have done this for years. You learn from their experience and knowledge, which would take you 10-12 years to learn on your own. It is just amazing.?
Morgan went on, ?You have people from all over the state. It is so neat to meet all those people and make those connections. I got to meet a pro-angler and I got to fish against one in like a mini-tournament. I didn?t too well because I didn?t catch anything,? Morgan admitted, ?but it was still fun.?
?We slept in a large cabin with different room and there were four to each room. I was with people from Italy (Texas) and Brenham. You make lots of friends and get to know a lot more people.?
?The food is great. It?s so good. It?s almost better than my mom?s but don?t tell her that.?
They have some many other brigades where you can learn about wildlife. There is the bobwhite brigade, coastal brigade, ranch brigade, buckskin brigade, waterfowl brigade and there are more.
How did he get connected to the program?
For him, it was through Danny Wilcox. The process,though, is the same for everyone. Each student has to apply and for those who needed it, there is money available to help cover the cost. Part of the application process includes an essay and a resume along with the application.
What does he think about it now, some six months later?
He wants to go back. ?I am really interested in the Buckskin camp but also the Bobwhite. And, I also want to go a back to Bass Brigade to become an assistant student leader. I know that there is even scholarship money available for college.?
?It has made me think about what I want to do when I go to college. After bass brigade, I am thinking I want to do something in biology because this is so interesting. Before, I was thinking some type of engineering degree but I don?t know now.?
Find out more @ Texas
Brigades
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