About Us

AmeriCorps

2009-11-23T20:52:49Z

AmeriCorps, the National Civilian Community Corps started by President Clinton, offers 75,000 opportunities for adults of all ages and backgrounds to serve their country through a network of partnerships with local and national nonprofit groups. AmeriCorps members address critical needs in communities all across America.

For example, AmeriCorps members:

Tutor and mentor disadvantaged youth
Fight illiteracy
Improve health services
Build affordable housing
Teach computer skills
Clean parks and streams
Manage or operate after-school programs
Help communities respond to disasters
Build organizational capacity

This year AmeriCorps will provide more than 320 Vermont citizens the opportunity to provide service in communities across Vermont. And before they embark on their year long assignments, AmeriCorps volunteers spend a day at High 5. For the fifth consecutive year, we have been privileged to work with this fine group of adults.

Our day consists of a variety of activities designed to help the group make friendships, discover commonalities and differences and form a bond that will last throughout their tenure as AmeriCorps volunteers. This day has become one of the highlights of our fall season as it is a day rich in meaning and purpose and leaves both the AmeriCorps volunteers and the High 5 staff with a great sense of pride and satisfaction.

Alaska National Guard

2009-09-08T15:35:47Z

The Alaska National Guard sought us out from far away to help them incorporate a challenge course into their Drug Demand Reduction Program at Camp Carroll near Anchorage, Alaska. Part of the various community outreach programs they run are Camp E3 (Encounter - Encourage - Experience), a free, four day-day camp focused on key components of the 40 Developmental Assets for Adolescents.

Specific components such as communication, responsibility, accountability, risk assessment, conflict resolution, self-esteem and resistance skills towards negative peer behavior are the end goals of daily instruction. They determined that a challenge course was a logical next step in offering the ultimate in personal challenge and group development.

In 2006 our building team built them a state-of-the-art course on utility poles, and we began training their staff. Since then, the DDR staff--a unique and dedicated group who are committed to their mission--bring us to their site to inspect and improve the course, and to continue the development of their adventuring skills. They also send members to our open-enrollment training here in Vermont and to industry gatherings such as the ACCT Annual Conference.

Their facilitators keep in close and regular touch with our team to seek advice, expand their skills and also to share their experiences. They do not limit their adventure education and challenge course skills to Camp E3; they also apply their training to many other programs:

"(Throck is) our point man for our new rural Alaska outreach program, The Mentor on The Trail. We coupled up with the Iditarod Education Programs' Teacher on The Trail. Along the way he's interacting with kids from the villages and speaking with them about positive decision making, individual and cultural respect and a host of other life skill developmental processes. And of course a rubber chicken and some fleece balls round out his tool box. ...we're happy to be expanding into rural Alaska with the race and more importantly, because High 5 has started us on this amazing journey, we're proud to be introducing others to it. It's an infection of the best sort and as you know, watching and feeling it connect with others is priceless. The youth we're engaging in this new adventure are just soaking it up as it creates the opportunity for self worth through self efficacy. The days of us visiting a village and leaving rubber balls and pencils are long gone. We're now leaving them with an instant in some of their lives that will be with them for years."

Autumn Harp, Inc. - Bristol, VT

2009-09-08T15:34:18Z

Why would one of the world's largest producers of lip balm want the services of High 5?

Because the changing world of their business was requiring their R & D team to re-define their relationship with their customers and that meant re-defining their relationship with each other.

High 5 specializes in developing those skills critical to a successful team effort: cooperation, trust, effective communication, commitment and leadership.

Through adventure education and shared observations, participants gain a greater awareness of the group process, and learn skills that, when transferred back to the office, can promote healthier relationships both internally and externally.

For the past four years, High 5 has been working with Autumn Harp's R & D team to accomplish these goals and according to Human Resources Director Joyce Diciano, the R & D team has become a leader throughout the company.

"I first heard about High 5 when I was attending a Governor's Leadership Retreat for small businesses. A friend who was also attending, highly recommended High 5 to assist me with the internal development of our R & D group. She insisted that there was no one better at developing a sense of team than the people at High 5. After four years of experiencing their skills and expertise, I wholeheartedly agree, there is no one better. They have succeeded in changing the culture of our R & D team and our company."

The Leadership School at Kieve - Nobleboro, ME

2009-09-08T15:29:26Z

The Leadership School has become an educational force in the State of Maine, and High 5 has been there with them every step of the way. Since 1981, the award-winning Leadership School at Kieve has been developing leaders and strengthening communities by challenging students, teachers, and parents to think in a new way when it comes to the growth and development of Maine's citizens.

The Leadership School and its camp siblings - Camp Kieve for Boys and Wavus Camp for Girls - use a variety of High 5 services:

All challenge course staff goes through High 5's Adventure Basics training, and some go on to take advanced and management courses. High 5 often travels to work with Kieve staff on their own course and sometimes individuals enroll in our open enrollment trainings to further their training skills. The staffs' skills are practiced and reviewed often through internal trainings, and annually by High 5.
The Challenge Course Construction Team inspects the courses annually, repairs as necessary, provide consultation for new projects and additions, and - like we do for all of our customers - keeps them advised of standards and updates in the industry. Most recently we installed a state-of-the-art challenge course in the newly constructed Buck Center, built specifically to house an indoor climbing wall and challenge course.
Each year Kieve sends a large contingent of their staff to our Annual Practioners Symposium in February. It's a high-energy day of engaging and informative workshops, new ideas and joyous fun. Kieve staffers return to their program reenergized with new games, initiatives, tips and tricks.

Ian Doak

2009-09-03T12:23:07Z

Ian is our Challenge Course Development Coordinator, and also a talented lead builder and trainer for High 5. He is responsible for all of our building department's logistics and development - proposals, scheduling and customer liaison. He is a certified NOLS instructor and holds a bachelors degree in Adventure Based Management from Lyndon State College.

Dave Klim

2009-09-03T12:22:42Z

Dave is our Freeport, Maine-based builder/inspector and has 20 years in the challenge course business, beginning his career with Project Adventure in 1989. Prior to joining the team at High 5 in 2002, Dave ran his own successful business, Maine Ropes Inc., for three years.

An avid outdoor enthusiast, he spends his time on home improvement projects and adventure travel. His bike travels with him on work trips and he looks for riding opportunities wherever he happens to be. Dave holds degrees from Lyndon State College and Georgia College and State University.

Daryl Essensa

2009-09-03T12:22:19Z

Daryl is the newest member of our training team and has recently returned to the Northeast from Georgia College and State University where she was an interim Professor of Physical Education and Outdoor Education. Before her time in Georgia, she spent 3 years as a trainer for Project Adventure.

Daryl's adventure history runs deep as she was a student and later a faculty member at Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School, where Project Adventure began in 1971. For 17 years Daryl taught physical education in both public and private schools in Massachusetts and received a Masters of Education degree from Salem State College. She is currently pursuing her doctorate at University of Massachusetts.

Lucas Germano

2009-09-03T12:20:50Z

Lucas is a builder's assistant and is currently using his construction skills to develop and grow into a lead builder and inspector in the challenge course industry. He grew up in Gettysburg, PA, is an outdoor enthusiast, and spends his leisure time kayaking on the rivers of Southern Vermont.

Gary Hillsgrove

2009-09-03T12:20:10Z

Gary is a lead builder and has been building challenge courses since 2002, stemming from a background in the building trades focusing on custom, organic structures. His building skills combine with his passion for climbing, resulting in creative challenge course elements and designs for High 5 and its customers.

His leisure time is spent outdoors, primarily hiking and climbing both rock and ice. He is a longtime AMC member, and recent member of the four thousand foot club. Gary also  oversees the indoor rock climbing program at St. Paul's School in Concord NH, and spent ten years involved with the Boy Scouts of America, earning the rank of Eagle Scout. He also has what has been described as abnormal obsession for power tools.

Chris Ortiz

2009-09-03T12:19:25Z

Chris is High 5's training and program design coordinator with over 15 years of experience in adventure education. While he has developed and directed adventure programs in a variety of settings, his passion continues to be in training and sharing ideas with other practitioners. He has worked with a variety of clientele, including schools, summer camps, universities, corporations and social service organizations.

Chris regularly presents at regional, national and international conferences where he shares innovative programming and activity ideas. He is the driving force behind High 5's Adventure by the Handful blog. He has a degree in Recreation and Park Management from the Pennsylvania State University.

Jennifer Ottinger

2009-09-03T12:17:33Z

Jen is our Business Manager, overseeing business, financial and marketing efforts. She has 22 years of experience in business management and marketing, having developed her skills at agencies and design firms in New York, New Jersey and Colorado before joining High 5 in 2002. She holds a BA in Marketing from Farleigh Dickinson University.

Nicki Hall

2009-09-03T12:16:08Z

Nicki is a veteran of adventure education. She is one of the founders of High 5 Adventure Learning Center and continues to facilitate training workshops for both beginner and advanced level practitioners on a part time basis. During her years at High 5 and Project Adventure, her keen eye and thorough approach have been instrumental in developing techniques for assessing the technical skills of practitioners. Her skills as a facilitator and her knowledge of adventure education have helped countless programs develop and thrive.

Whether she is leading a workshop, designing adventure curricula for schools and community groups, or facilitating team-building workshops, her passion is in helping adventure practitioners develop programs that are rich in spirit, practical in application and technically up to quality standards. She holds a Masters in Education from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, MA. Nicki currently serves on the High 5 Board of Directors.

Melissa Fitzgerald

2009-09-03T12:01:20Z

Melissa is our Office Coordinator and it's her voice you usually hear when we answer the phone. A true multi-tasker, Melissa is responsible for workshop registration and logistics, catalog orders, office information systems and keeping track of the comings and goings of the rest of us. She is also currently planning her wedding of September, 2010 to her fiancée, Nate.

Jim Grout

2009-09-03T12:00:06Z

Jim is the director and one of the founders of High 5 Adventure Learning Center and a veteran of more than 30 years in the adventure education field. Jim's extensive knowledge and avid commitment to the power of adventure education are evident throughout High 5's programs. He began his adventure career in 1979 and since then has trained thousands of people in the art of adventure.

Jim presents regularly at AEE, ACCT and AAHPERD conferences, regionally and nationally. He currently serves on the Certification Standards Committee of the Association for Challenge Course Technology. He has co-authored two books on adventure education, The High 5 Guide: Challenge Course Operating Procedures for the Thinking Practitioner with Nicki Hall and Back Pocket Adventure with Karl Rohnke. He has also written numerous articles for various publications in the field. He holds a Masters in Education from Salem State College in Salem, MA.

Todd Brown

2009-09-03T11:59:20Z

High 5's resident authority on design, construction and inspection of challenge course facilities, Todd has built many hundreds of challenge courses and is experienced on a wide variety of building styles including indoor, outdoor, poles and trees, dynamic and static courses.

Todd spent 11 years with Project Adventure before joining High 5 as a founding member in 2000. He has been involved with ACCT since its inception and was present during the drafting of the original installation standards. He holds a BS in Outdoor Recreation from Unity College.