April and May 2007
The troubled teen camp has had a busy spring! The boys finished up calving the beginning of May. We had over 350 new calves born this year! Calving is always a positive experience for the boys; they are responsible for new life and involved in every aspect including middle of the night feedings.
The branding was a huge success and a lot of fun was had by all. This is traditional ranch branding that included roping, bull dogging, good food and lots of work. This type of activity is important for the troubled teen because it teaches them teamwork and about the heart of ranching where everything that is done comes together in one place. It is a cycle of life that the boys can be a part of.
The boys have also been working on many projects (experiential learning!) on the ranch. The Fort Wilderness dining hall project has been an ongoing project and the roof and porch is now finished. The garden is also growing! The boys will be very busy weeding, and monitoring it this summer. The rewards will be tasted by all!
The boys are learning more about horses and how to work cattle while on horseback. The troubled teen can learn a lot about himself while working with horses; including patience, endurance, flexibility, being quiet, and listening skills just to name a few. They are also assuming more responsibility and this helps their confidence.
Just to give an idea of a few things we are doing as we are ending May and heading into June…. we are busy planting, irrigating, riding horses, working with cattle, gardening, building, working daily on school work and getting ready for Cow Camp up on our summer range in the beautiful Sunlight Mountains.
We hope everyone has a great summer!
*We also want to share that Rocky Mountain Clothing Company is now one of MTC’s benefactors with their generous donation of Cinch jeans, shirts and hats as well as Cruel Girl clothing for our staff and boys. We are all proud to wear this wonderful clothing and want to extend our gratitude to Rocky Mountain Clothing Company!
February and March 2007
As spring is quickly approaching, the staff and boys at troubled teen camp, Mount Carmel, are very busy with calving season. This requires a lot from the boys and the staff; throughout the night staff and boys wake up and check the heifers (cattle that are pregnant for the first time), sometimes even helping deliver calves if necessary! Of course there is the usual demand of middle of the night calve feedings as well.
During the days, boys are busy studying, checking heifers, moving cattle, pulling calves and all that entails. When a calf gets born too early or has other problems, we try to assign a troubled teen to take care of the baby and to use that responsibility to build up their self esteem and self respect (the boys don’t know they are being taught science and animal husbandry at the same time!) They are also helping to build new corrals for the cows. This involves learning to measure, construction skills, teamwork and patience!
We also have a new part time staff member, Charlie Moore, who has helped to rebuild the chicken coops, and is helping to design a garden for the summer as well as building a new green house. The boys are actively involved in the planning and are amazed at the plan for 5 TONS of various vegetables and some fruit! We are all excited that Mr. Moore is part of the Mount Carmel team!
A new bath/dining area is also being built and is an ongoing project. The boys are hands on and learning math and carpentry while they watch what they are building take shape. Again, patience and teamwork are extremely important skills they are learning without even being aware of it!
As spring approaches we will be looking forward to spring branding. Branding is a ranch activity that the boys really enjoy. We will start getting the fields ready for spring planting in April. We will be moving cows to sunlight in late spring and will be getting ready for cow camp this summer.
As you can see we are busy, busy, busy with ranch life and with the ranch lifestyle, helping the troubled teen enrich his minds, strengthen his body, and heal his spirit.
October 16-21 2006
This week started off with a plan to go to the natural corrals which is in the sunlight basin area. This is where we will round up the cattle from this summer and bring them home to the troubled teen camp for the fall/winter grazing. With the cattle that are already here, there has been a lot of preg-testing and immunizations to prepare for the long winter. Preg-testing is how we know if the mother cow has a live baby calf inside that will be born in February.
The boys have also had the opportunity to catch up on any school work with the assistance of our new teacher Mr. Larry Ley. Mr. Ley has been keeping busy taking time to become acquainted with the boys, their parents, and their goals, as well as accentuating the academics of our program.
o you know an at risk teen? Call MTCYR for more information on our Wilderness Program and School for Troubled Teens, we can help.
Business/ Admissions Office (307) 645-3322 or reach us by email at admissions@mtcarmelyouthranch.com
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