Chaperone Testimonials
“Chaperoning on the POST Desert School trip was an amazing experience! It was a wonderful opportunity to be part of the student community in a respectful and nonintrusive way, and to get to know other parents in a spectacular and relaxing environment!”
"I chaperoned a dozen or so trips and enjoyed everyone of them, including Desert School, Survival, Advanced Survival, Siberia and Ramblewood. It is a chance to get outdoors and to spend time with a great bunch of kids (and to see your own kids “in the wild” if you are a parent). Have fun while you do something good for your community!"
— John Mulligan, Parent
"It was a privilege to be part of the chaperone group for POST. Not only did I see my kid enjoying nature and developing leadership skills, but I also appreciated the company of other chaperones. We shared coffee, stories, dreams and thankfully another parent helped me set up a tent. I felt very welcome and appreciated the fresh air and outlook that such a trip can provide."
— Sara Benveniste, Parent
“As a chaperone on POST trips, I get to watch students create opportunities for themselves and others, all with the backdrop of the NW forests, mountains and ocean. Watching students lead students is inspiring and I leave POST trips energized.
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"I was surprised at how much fun I had chaperoning the Desert School trip. The location was beautiful, the food was free (and tasty!), the company was great, and the kids shouted Happy Mother’s Day to me from the mountaintops (literally)."
- Chia Wang, Parent
"For me, chaperoning was the rare treat we get as parents of high-school-age teens, which is to be an unobtrusive participant in their social lives and learning experiences. I was able to meet so many students whose names I had heard over the years. And I got to do this in a gorgeous natural setting, while hiking or paddling alongside students and other adults for a few hours at a time. I highly encourage all parents to give it a try, at least once. "
- Keith Seinfeld, Parent
"What an honor to contribute to such an inspiring organization! POST 84 is an incredible example of youth-run environmental education in action. Empowerment at its funnest!"
- Ethan Holzer, ‘08
"As a recent alum, chaperoning POST trips is an awesome way to stay involved with the program, and remain part of the POST community. It's inspiring to see students doing such a stellar job leading the trips, and especially heartwarming if you're there as someone who has gone through POST yourself. You'll be first in line for burritos, and you don't have to worry about cleaning the bean pot!"
- Lucia Hunt, '14
“Chaperoning is a one-way ticket to quality time for yourself, for your kids and for their friends. I have been fortunate to Chaperone twice for POST and I am just amazed how wonderful it is to see our kids in the ideal environment: in nature, active, without cell phones, no computer, and with the walls of clichés, economic status, age, gender and race washed away. It is just kids, being kids in the most beautiful way and we chaperones get the special opportunity to help where needed, but mostly watch the bonds of friendship grow right in front of us. Absolutely awesome!”
"Chaperoning a POST trip is a unique and awesome experience. There is nothing quite like watching independent students grow and learn from each other in the outdoors. I am looking forward to chaperoning as many trips as I can!"
— Aaron Goff, ‘14
"Not only is chaperoning a POST trip an incredible opportunity to experience the outdoors in Washington State; it also helps facilitate student agency, leadership, and growth. This is a truly life-changing organization, and all chaperones have a hand in continuing that legacy."
— Nick Cunetta, ‘14
“I couldn’t be more grateful to have the opportunity to chaperone for and continue to support a program that was my platform to becoming who I am today. Chaperoning POST trips is an incredible treat. 30 years ago, 15 years ago, 5 years ago and today, POST is one of the only programs I have ever seen trust young people to show other young people how to love themselves, grow through discomfort, and to jump in and get wet (oh and that rain pants are coo!). I am, and will always be, a POST alum first and a Garfield alum second.”
Alumni Testimonials
"POST changed my life. It brought me out of my shell and gave me confidence that many high schoolers are lacking. I learned lifelong outdoor and leadership skills. It would be a shame for POST not to offer those same opportunities to our current adolescents as it did for me."
— Patricia Wreford-Brown, '07
“Nothing has prepared me more for my college classes, internships, and life in general than working on POST.”
— Jackson Cantrell '14
“Without a doubt the most valuable thing I did in high school.”
— Aaron Goff '14
"Post helped me learn to be a leader and solidified my confidence in my own skills - both interpersonal and outdoors. Thanks to my experience in Post, I was able to make friends leading outdoor trips in college and be a more effective manager at my college newspaper."
— Rachel Alexander '09
"POST introduced me to the skill base I used to follow a career in the fire service. I learned the skills in a team environment that I use today."
— Sam Woestwin '10
"Being involved with POST was hands down the most important part of my high school experience. My favorite nights of high school were the ones sitting around a fire, walking in the woods, laughing my head off at silly skits, and star gazing on sleeping bags. POST gave me the confidence to speak in front of 200 people, the dedication to pull an all nighter organizing trip paperwork, the leadership skills I still use for job interviews, the passion for adventures in the woods, and the community where I found my best friends and mentors."
— Lucia Hunt '14
"I had an incredible experience with POST in high school. It is an extremely rare program that helped prepare me for college and life beyond high school in numerous ways. Not only did it provide an avenue for weekend activities without drugs or alcohol, it developed a love for the outdoors that has continued to this day."
— Max Ogryzko '13
"POST trips are the landmarks of my high school life. Trips are the main thing I look forward to and when I got down about the amount of school work, I would tell myself "Only three weeks left until the next one. You can do it!"
— Menna '18
"I am currently an EMT in Seattle and am seeking a way to combine my love of the outdoors/adventure with medicine. POST was first experience in this area. Especially in a position of leadership. POST was enormously influential and was definitely a guiding light when I decided to become a kayak tour guide, a teacher in China, and an EMT."
— Benjamin Miller '09
"I went into my first trip as a skeptical, unprepared, and scared freshman. Two days later, I returned a converted man and went on six more trips just that year. That trip, and the dozens that followed, have taught me about leadership, communication, and the wild world we live in more than any class I’ve ever taken. POST gave me a community that made the high school experience less intimidating and (if you can believe it), actually fulfilling."
— Patrick Walsh '18
"POST has given me great experience in leadership, organization, teaching and the outdoors. The program is a great outdoors and learn important life skills that you would not otherwise get from the classroom or other extracurriculars. I'm confident the program will continue to do this for countless others and i would encourage incoming students to get involved."
— Peter '16
"POST was one of the most transformative parts of my time at Garfield. As a camper I learned new outdoor skills and made lifelong friends; as a staff member I learned leadership and teaching skills; as a trip leader I learned organization, accountability, and delegation; and as finance coordinator I learned how to fundraise and balance a budget. After graduating I led outdoor education trips in college and continue hike, camp, backpack, climb, and kayak with family and friends. Recent highlights include climbing Mt. St. Helens and kayaking around Manhattan (20 miles!) under a full moon. After moving back to Seattle for graduate school last fall I joined the POST Alumni Board and am thrilled to have the opportunity to chaperone trips, support the next generation of Posties, and give back to an organization that has impacted my life in so many ways."
— Sarah '08
"POST was by far the single best experience of my time at Garfield. Not only did it keep me busy and gave me something to look forward to on weekends, it also taught me skills I use to this day. Being on staff and the Executive Committee was my first time in a leadership role that felt like it carried true responsibility and importance. Planning a trip and helping carry it out successfully is an incredibly effective and engaging way to learn. It was the first legitimate accomplishment I could put on my resume and helped me land my first couple jobs.
It also gave many students their first introduction to outdoor trips and skills. Compass navigation, rock climbing, kayak safety, knot tying, and snow camping are all skills I otherwise wouldn't have been exposed to without POST.
Lastly, some of my best friends were made through POST. It brings people together in a way that you can't get in a classroom setting.
I'm afraid that GHS is losing some of the programs that make it so unique. All of my best high school memories were made through POST - I can't imagine Garfield without it."
— Amia Kane '09