Patriot Academy sets tone for school year with hands-on learning

Broadalbin-Perth High School’s Patriot Academy began the school year with two days of hands-on team-building activities designed to reinforce its four core values: communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking.

On the first day, students rotated through five outdoor challenges that tested problem-solving skills and teamwork. In “Riddle Me This,” groups pieced together letters to solve riddles. At “Fore the Win,” students practiced focus and cooperation by chipping plastic golf balls into a bull’s-eye target. “Guide Me If You Can” challenged team members to rely solely on verbal communication as they directed blindfolded partners through an obstacle course. “Fox in Sox” tested quick thinking and clarity as students recited Dr. Seuss tongue twisters without error. In the “SpongeBob Dunk Pants Challenge,” students used sponges to fill a bucket to a line before time ran out.

The second day focused on building trust and connection within the group. Students began with the “Three Chairs Activity,” where they shared favorite things, fears, and reflections from the first day. Teams then moved on to larger challenges, including the “Egg Drop Challenge,” in which they engineered prototypes to protect eggs dropped from various heights, and the “Qbert Art Challenge,” where individual cube designs came together to form a colorful collective game board inspired by the classic arcade game.

According to the Academy teachers, these activities did more than break the ice. They established a foundation for the year ahead, showing students that success in Patriot Academy comes from creativity, teamwork, and the willingness to take risks together.

Patriot Academy is a school-within-a-school for students in grades 9-12 that blends subjects like ELA, art, STEM, and business with project-based learning to help students develop critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity. With flexible learning spaces and real-world challenges, the program builds skills and passions that prepare students for success beyond the classroom.

This article was created with some help from AI, but edited, reviewed, and fact-checked by a real person.